


Corner of Your Heart

by easyluckyfree45



Series: Soulmates AU [2]
Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bickering, Drunk Sex, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Feels, Fluff, Grand Gestures, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Meant To Be, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Soulmates, Sexual Tension, Smut, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25133740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/easyluckyfree45/pseuds/easyluckyfree45
Summary: Oh god. This can’t possibly be happening. How can they be soulmates when she doesn’t even like him? She only remembers bits and pieces of their conversations from last night. She remembers thinking that he is a pretentious asshole. It doesn’t matter if he is hot as sin; that doesn’t make him any less of a butt.She nurses her pounding headache and slaps her hand against his shoulder repeatedly. “Yo, wake up. Wake up!”“What?” He manages to say as he pushes her hands away. “It’s so early. Why are you awake right now?”She lifts his wrist up and shoves it into his face. “This is why I’m awake.”He glances at his wrist and then immediately drops it back down.“So?”“So?” She parrots back and nearly screeches. “So you don’t think the fact that we’re soulmates is something that you should be awake for?”“I don’t know why you’re so riled up about this. Okay, we’re soulmates. So what?”“Oh my god. So what? This is the reason why I don’t want to be your soulmate. I don’t even like you.”“You seemed to like me enough last night.”An unconventional Soulmates AU
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Valerie Brown, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Reggie Mantle/Josie McCoy
Series: Soulmates AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812877
Comments: 355
Kudos: 410
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. I’m miles from where you are

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know I have 2 other WIPs to finish but I seriously could not get this plot bunny out of my head so I just had to write this. Apparently, it’s my new goal in life to become a rom com writer. I’m not going to lie - charming assholes are my favorite type of male lead to read and I feel like I needed more of it so I’m challenging myself to write one. 
> 
> Also, Jug’s opinions about Parasite below are not my own. That movie changed my life and the way that I view films - it’s absolutely phenomenal. Please go watch it right now if you haven’t already. There are some slight spoilers ahead so again, if you haven’t seen it, I apologize in advance for giving away the ending. 
> 
> The biggest thanks to the wonderful Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for looking this over and giving me all the encouragement!
> 
> Comments and kudos are everything and keep me writing!

_I_

_find the map and draw a straight line_   
_Over rivers, farms, and state lines_   
_The distance from 'here' to where you'd be_   
_It's only finger-lengths that I see_   
_I touch the place where I'd find your face_   
_My fingers in creases of distant dark places_

_“Set the fire to the third bar” by Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright_

**Chapter 1: I’m miles from where you are**

“You’re not the least bit curious?” Josie asks, pointing at the prominent tattoo that sits against Betty’s pale wrist.

_810 miles west_ , it reads.

Betty looks down, absentmindedly rubs it before she answers. “If we’re actually soulmates then I’ll find them at some point, right? What’s the point in going to all the trouble of looking for them if it’s theoretically meant to be?”

“But sometimes you have to help fate along a little,” Josie says. She lies back against Betty’s bed and grabs a fluffy pillow to hug.

“Okay, well, some of us aren’t multi-talented award-winning singers that can just drop everything and go on a nationwide tour to find their soulmate.” Betty raises an eyebrow and sends her a pointed look.

“Actually, we’re touring because we’re trying to promote our new album. The soulmate thing is just an added bonus.” Josie looks at her best friend seriously. “Why don’t you come with me?”

“Jos, I’m about to graduate in two weeks and I’m still desperately looking for a job. I can’t just go with you on tour.”

“Look, you know your soulmate is probably floating around somewhere in the Midwest. Just join me on that leg of the tour and then if you don’t find them, you can come back here to New York and I’ll leave you to mope in peace.”

“I’m not moping!” Betty looks affronted at the suggestion.

“That screech in your tone really makes it super convincing.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll come with you for that part of the tour and that part only.” Betty concedes and flops down onto her bed next to Josie. She cuddles up next to her and voices her deepest fear. “What if I still don’t find them even after this big production?”

“You’re going to find them.” Josie replies confidently. “We’re both going to find out soulmates this summer. I know it.”

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Since Betty was in high school, her tattoo has always read somewhere along the lines of 830 miles west. From her home in upstate New York, that put her soulmate somewhere in the Midwest. She inputted the distance into Google Maps once and found that they were probably in Milwaukee, Chicago, or maybe Indianapolis. The information on her wrist is deliberately vague and she didn’t think it made any sense for 18-year-old her to go gallivanting out west in search of her soulmate.

When she arrived at Columbia 4 years ago and moved to the big city, the number and direction fluctuated for a while before finally settling at where it is now, 810 miles west. So that meant her soulmate decided to stay in the Midwest for college. There’s a number of cities and schools they could be at. One particularly depressing night junior year, Betty drank an entire bottle of cheap Chardonnay and started to search for all the different universities that were 800 miles away from Manhattan. She was shocked at how many there were.

So, she came to the resolution that since they were clearly not looking for her, she didn’t need to look for them either. If they were really soulmates and were fated, they would meet on their own accord, without any interference necessary.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

“Oh my god, this tour bus has bunk beds!” Betty exclaims before she climbs up the ladder and onto the top bunk. “I call this bed.”

Josie watches her in amusement as she watches her best friend bounce up and down on the bed, as if testing out the mattress. “Does it meet your high standards, Ms. Cooper?”

“This is surprisingly comfortable. I’m honestly shocked.” She grabs a pillow and asks, “Is this memory foam?”

Josie rolls her eyes and drops her bag off on the bunk beneath Betty’s before she moves to the front of the tour bus and starts to discuss routes with the driver. Betty leans back on the bed and closes her eyes for a brief moment, relishing in the feel of the soft sheets and fluffy pillow.

“Are you already asleep?”

She blinks one eye open, green staring into brown.

“It’s comfortable,” she mutters.

Archie raises an eyebrow and flops onto the bottom bunk across from hers.

“Umm, isn’t this supposed to be a female only section?” Betty complains. She nods towards the back of the bus. “Can’t you go sleep on the couch over there?”

“Betty, you’re 22 and you’re still worried about gendered beds? What is this, summer camp?”

She supposes he does have a point. They were going to be in close quarters, spending the overwhelming majority of their time together for the next few weeks. She honestly doesn’t mind Archie but for some reason, they always fell into this familiar pattern of bickering and teasing each other. She’s known him for three years, having met him at the same time that she met Val for the first time when Josie introduced her to her bandmates. Archie is a few years older than her and is like the annoying older brother she never had.

Betty huffs then narrows her eyes. “Do you snore?”

He snorts. “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”

Val approaches them and wraps her arm around Archie, snuggling into his side. “Is my soulmate bothering you, Betty?”

Betty looks down at the matching illuminated zeros that they have etched onto their wrists with jealousy. If only she were so lucky to find her soulmate so easily.

“He always bothers me,” Betty responds sweetly before sticking her tongue out at Archie. She hops down from the bunk and pads into the back of the tour bus. She sits on the plush couch and opens a bag of edamame chips. Josie had insisted on only having healthy snacks which seems like the antithesis of road trip behavior.

“I can’t wait until we get to Chicago,” Archie says as he sits down next to her and steals a chip. He makes a face of disgust as he eats it. “Okay, where are my Doritos?”

Val reaches into his bag and shuffles around a few things before she pulls out the chips and throws it in his direction.

“Yes, Archie, we all know how much you love your hometown.” Betty pops another edamame chip into her mouth. They’re salty and crunchy and aren’t half bad.

“It’ll be so good to see my friends,” he continues on as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “I can’t wait for you guys to meet my best friend. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him.” Archie launches into his story about how he and his best friend, Jughead Jones, both grew up in Chicago but then Archie got accepted into NYU so he left. Jughead stayed behind at University of Chicago so he could stay close to his family. They still kept in touch all throughout college and beyond.

Betty’s heard this story a few times now so she tunes him out and starts to flip through a magazine. She looks out the window and watches with interest as the scenery flies by. And so, their trip begins.

Vaguely, she notices the number on her wrist start to dwindle. She’s getting closer. She just hopes that he’ll remain a fixed point in her journey.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

The cities start to blur together though the one thing that Betty remembers vividly is the mountains and rolling hills in Pennsylvania as they drove from Philadelphia through Pittsburgh to Cleveland. The scenery is absolutely stunning and she puts her music on blast as she watches the gradations of green as the bus moves through varying escalations. They stop in Cleveland for a one-night show and she eats some of the best pierogies she’s ever had and would definitely rival Veselka’s back home.

By the time they finally arrive in Chicago, Betty knows all the words to every single one of Josie and the Pussycats’ songs and she can even do some of the dance moves. She feels like she can finally take a bit of a breather. They’ve only stopped a single night each in every city they’ve been to so far and she’s exhausted. She honestly doesn’t know how Josie, Val, Mel and Archie can handle another few months of this. She misses the little things - the way her pillows feel when she falls onto her bed at night and her daily wake up routine in the morning. It’s strange to live out of a suitcase and to spend the majority of her hours on a bus.

She spends most of her time reading. Archie is opening for the Pussycats so while they’re all in the back, practicing, Betty sits at one of the seats towards the front of the bus, reads, and writes in her journal. She realizes that she should probably be applying to jobs but every time she opens up her resume and cover letter, she just doesn’t know what more she could possibly add or edit. She thinks she’s applied to hundreds of jobs at this point. She can’t help but feel disappointed when the most response she’s gotten is an auto generated rejection email.

As they approach the city, Chicago’s towering skyline comes into view and Archie rushes to the front of the bus, almost hopping from one foot to the other in his excitement.

“It feels so good to be back home!”

Betty smiles at his eagerness. She appreciates his enthusiasm - he’s like a little kid in a candy store sometimes. She can’t remember the last time she’s gotten that excited about anything. The only time in recent memory that comes close is when Ariana Grande dropped a surprise album, and that was years ago.

“I can’t wait for you guys to finally meet Jug. He’s joining us for food and will probably hang around after.” Archie is practically beaming. His phone buzzes. “Oh, that’s probably him now.” He wanders off.

They check into their hotel with relative ease. After settling into her own room, she peels off her clothes and hops in the shower. The water feels so good against her skin and she feels the six hour drive from Cleveland to Chicago melt off her and down the drain. This is exactly what she needs.

Feeling refreshed, she gets dressed in a long-sleeved emerald green skater dress and flats. She throws her damp hair up in a bun and applies some blush and a light coat of mascara. She bounces down to the lobby where she knows the rest of the group is waiting for her. As she approaches the familiar crowd, she notices there’s one unfamiliar face. He nearly towers over the rest of her friends. He’s wearing a dark navy blue button down shirt and tight faded black jeans. His jet black hair is slightly tousled and one stray strand falls into his face delicately. His skin is tanned and he has the most piercing azure eyes, the color of glittering sapphires. Vaguely, she feels like her wrist is throbbing but she doesn’t pay much attention to it as she approaches them.

“Hi.” She greets them all with a wave of her hand.

“Oh, Betty, perfect.” Archie quickly introduces them. “Jug, this is Betty Cooper. She’s Josie’s best friend from Columbia. She’s joining us on the first leg of the tour. Betty, this is Jughead Jones. He’s the best friend I keep going on about.”

“Nice to meet you.” Her Cooper instincts take over and she flashes him a polite smile.

The group starts to move out of the lobby doors and onto the sidewalk. He falls into a natural step that matches her pace.

“First time in Chicago?” Jughead asks. His voice is a deep baritone and she has a sudden desire to wrap herself in it.

“Yes.” She nods. “Have you lived here your whole life?”

“Yeah.”

Well, it seems like conversation is not going to come naturally to them. She intertwines her hands in front of herself awkwardly. “What’s your favorite part of the city?”

“The food.”

“Any particular dish?”

“Nope.”

Betty sighs and looks away. Continuing this conversation is like pulling teeth. She tries to catch Val or Mel’s gaze as they walk towards the restaurant but they’re both engaged in their own conversation.

“This is one of my favorite places in the city.”

She looks over and Jughead is pointing at an old movie theater across the street.

“Fan of the classics?” She asks.

“Definitely. There’s not much made nowadays that’s worth watching.”

She raises an eyebrow at that. “That’s quite a broad proclamation. There’s no recent directors or filmmakers that interest you?”

He pauses for a moment as if seriously contemplating her question. While he thinks, she gets a little lost in his strong jawline and the angled slope of his nose. He is stunningly attractive.

“There’s a few that I like such as Tarantino but the overwhelming majority of the movies being made nowadays are just redundant. I haven’t seen a good original screenplay in ages.”

“What?” She can’t help but turn to him, disbelief coloring her face. “What about Parasite? That movie is probably the most original thing I’ve seen in the last decade.”

“It was alright,” he responds with a shrug.

She can’t help herself. Her hand shoots out and tugs on his arm to stop him. She deliberately ignores the shiver that travels down her spine when they make contact. “It was alright?” She parrots back at him.

“Yeah, I mean, I saw that ending coming a mile away.”

“You predicted that there was a man living in their underground bunker because he was trying to escape his debts?” Her voice is incredulous and it’s clear she doesn’t believe a word he’s saying.

“It was so obvious.”

“What?” She doesn’t care if she’s squawking at this point.

“We’re here,” he announces as they come to a stop in front of the restaurant. He holds the door open for her and she walks inside, murmuring a quiet thank you at him, still feeling annoyed and on edge.

The group stops in front of the large menu, all looking up at it. Jughead stands next to her and she’s slightly irritated that he seems to be following her now because she thought that he’d realize from their minor disagreement that maybe their personalities just didn’t mesh.

She hears Archie telling Val about all his favorite items on the menu and he starts listing off all the things they have to order.

“You should get the Chicago style hot dog. It’s a must order.” Jughead suggests.

Betty’s surprised that he’s still talking to her. She narrows her eyes and walks up to the register booth.

“Hi there.” She greets. “Can I have an Italian beef, please?”

“Definitely get that with hot peppers.” She hears Jughead calling out behind her.

Betty shakes her head, peeved. “With sweet peppers, please.”

“You want that with french fries, for sure. They’re crinkle cut,” he says loudly.

“And with onion rings, please.” She ignores him. Did she just order onion rings? She doesn’t even like onion rings.

Betty moves down the line, pays for her order, and deliberately sits herself next to Val at the end of the table so no one can sit down next to her. She didn’t account for Archie being a gentleman and moving out of his seat so Jughead can sit directly across from her. Betty shoves a few onion rings into her mouth and turns her entire body so that she’s facing Val.

She takes a bite of her sandwich and can’t suppress the moan of delight. “Oh my god, this is amazing.”

“Right?” Archie agrees easily. He looks over at Betty. “You should’ve gotten that with hot peppers though.”

Betty’s eyes narrow and she ignores Jughead’s knowing smirk.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000


	2. Feel your presence in your absence, shut the door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, everyone!
> 
> I'm honestly so excited to write this story and have several chapters written already because I am so overeager about this. I'm so happy everyone seems jazzed too! If you're enjoying this, let me know - comments and kudos are so appreciated.
> 
> As always, the biggest thank you go to my lovely beta Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for being the absolute sweetest and supportive person.

__

_House on fire, leave it all behind you_   
_Dark as night, let the lightning guide you_   
_Time to step outside_

_“Step out” by Jose Gonzalez_

**Chapter 2: Feel your presence in your absence, shut the door**

Betty doesn’t know why she’s getting so annoyed with Jughead. Yes, he’s annoying and he’s pretentious but this is all based off of only one conversation with him. She just graduated from Columbia, and she has certainly met her fair share of pompous idiots at the Ivy League school so this isn’t exactly an unusual interaction. There’s just something about him though - something about him that sets her insides on fire and makes her jaw tick. She can’t quite put her finger on what it is specifically.

Maybe, she should give him another chance. That’s what Alice Cooper’s daughter should do, so maybe she should just suck it up, swallow her pride, and give him another chance.

She watches him out of the corner of her eye. He’s at the side of the stage, chatting animatedly with Val about something and she’s suddenly infuriated that he is so stupidly handsome right now. Why did his shirt mold his muscles so well? Why are his pants so goddamn tight? Why couldn’t she stop staring at him?

Betty walks towards the back of the building, stops at the extensively stocked liquor table and mixes herself a generous drink. She takes a big gulp and feels the fruity liquor slide down her throat, calming her nerves. Josie approaches her and puts her arm around Betty’s waist, hugging her.

“How’s my darling best friend today?”

Betty hugs her back and kisses Josie’s cheek. “I’m wonderful, Jos. How was your day?”

As she listens to her best friend talk about the various happenings that occurred today, Betty thinks about how much she’ll miss Josie after she returns to Manhattan. It’s such a big city and it feels lonely to her at times. Josie helps with that. Her vibrant personality brightens up everyone around her. At least the tour will be over in a month.

Josie rubs her forehead. “I swear, if I never have to look at a rider contract ever again it will be too soon.” She leans on Betty’s shoulder. “Oh, I meant to ask you earlier but are we getting close? Sadly, I’m still over 2000 miles away from mine.” She flashes her wrist at Betty and she could see that indeed, it read 2120 miles west.

Betty knows exactly what she’s referring to. She hadn’t even checked her wrist since the tour bus. When they were driving into the city, she was only 8 miles away from her soulmate which meant that they definitely lived in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. Betty pulls her shirt sleeve up and is shocked to see that it’s now a black 0.

“Oh my god. They’re here!”

“What?” Josie’s eyes widen as she also stares at the 0 on her arm. “Oh my god, do you think your soulmate is a Pussycats fan? Did my music bring you together? Okay, so that means I’m definitely your maid of honor, right?”

Betty slaps Josie’s arm gently. “You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Wait, why isn’t it glowing?”

“Doesn’t it only glow when you’re right next to your soulmate?”

“Hmm, I guess my soulmate is in the building somewhere then. Do you think I should use this like a honing device?” Betty jokes.

“Please don’t embarrass me like that.” When Josie sees someone approaching, she quickly shoves Betty’s wrist away. “Put that away. Jughead’s coming.”

Betty immediately tugs her sleeve back down, ignoring the tingling once again. She’s so tempted to look back at her wrist to see what it was but decides against it. “Okay, but why do you say it like I was doing something dirty? It’s not like I was whipping out my d-”

Before Betty can finish her sentence, Josie interrupts. “Yes, Betty, I totally agree. This venue is absolutely amazing.”

“This theater was designed in the Moorish architectural style and the interior is supposed to resemble a Spanish village.” Jughead comes up behind them and tips his beer towards Betty as a greeting.

Betty resists the urge to roll her eyes when she hears his dumb and sexy voice. It doesn’t matter that she actually secretly, maybe not-so-secretly, loves trivia facts like that and if anyone else told her, she’d probably inquire them for more information. Instead, she feigns disinterest and pastes a bored look on her face.

The lack of interest from her seems to egg him on even more. “The theater’s name comes from the name of a region in Spain.”

“Oh that’s cool.” Josie comments. “I’ve always wanted to go to Spain.”

Betty wonders if Jughead will start to name the different regions in Spain but thankfully, he does not. Instead, the conversation moves to different world travel experiences and they both listen attentively as Josie describes her latest trip to Southern Italy. Betty takes another large sip of her drink and when she realizes it’s almost empty, Josie hands her a refill before she can even ask. Whatever it is, it’s sweet and tasty and just what she needs.

Once the concert starts, Betty’s surprised that Jughead is still standing around her though his attention is completely focused on the stage. Archie’s songs are often sad love ballads but she still finds they’re catchy despite their depressing lyrics. The broody persona that he presents on stage is so different from the peppy athlete that’s madly in love with his soulmate who she knows in real life. It just goes to show how this is really a career for him and that his stage act is just that, an act.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone dance to Archie’s songs.”

“Well, when you’ve had three drinks, you can dance to anything. Plus, it’s catchy.” She sips her drink which she thinks is her third. It might be her fourth.

“Are you a lightweight?”

She snorts and shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”

“Why do I think that you’re lying to me?” He snatches the drink out of her hands and throws it into the trash can behind him.

“Hey! I was still drinking that.” She complains as she hits him across the chest. It’s very muscular and she can feel his well-defined pectorals against her fingertips.

“Drink this instead.” He hands her a bottle of water. “Finish it and maybe in 30 minutes when you’re not swaying from side to side anymore, you can have more alcohol.”

She tries not to think about how sexy his gravelly voice is and instead focuses on the fact that he’s a controlling asshole.

“I’m swaying to the music.” She defends. She doesn’t know if that’s actually true. Was she swaying?

After about another 25 minutes of his set, Archie walks off the stage to where Jughead and Betty are. Betty sips her water and hates to admit that she does feel much better. Her vision has cleared and she can feel herself sobering up. She downs the rest of her water bottle and waves it in front of Jughead’s face.

“Happy?”

“Thrilled,” he says dryly.

He starts to talk to Archie and Betty tunes out their conversation. She wanders to the bathroom and then on her way back, grabs a roast beef sandwich from the platter of food. She’s surprised there’s anything left given the way Jughead and Archie were eating earlier but the venue seems to have an endless supply of dainty food.

“Betty?”

Betty turns around, swallowing the rest of the sandwich. “Trev!” She exclaims before jumping into his open arms. “I haven’t seen you in over a year. How’s life in glamorous Milwaukee?”

“It’s been too long, Betty.” He responds with a hug. “Milwaukee’s awesome - cheap rent and great beer. I can’t really ask for anything more.”

Trevor, Val’s brother, had moved to Milwaukee over a year ago after graduating. Val had been devastated when he accepted his job offer but he never had any desire to stay in Manhattan. They talk a bit about his job and his never ending supply of cheese now that he’s living in the Midwest. After another few minutes, the lights start to dim and the bass starts to thump, signaling the start of Josie and the Pussycats’ set.

“Come on, let’s go!” Betty gestures towards the exclusive section at the side of the stage that’s reserved for friends and family.

Trevor grabs her hand as they weave through the crowd and into the closed off area. She feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, like someone’s watching her. Betty glances around and doesn’t notice anything unusual. Ignoring it, she dances to the music alongside Trevor. Every so often, he leans in close to make a funny comment or observation.

About halfway through their set, Betty breaks off briefly to fix herself another drink. She’s pouring in the vodka when Jughead approaches the table. He opens a beer, takes a sip, and stares at her.

She should just take no notice of him and not engage. Don’t engage. “Can I help you?”

“You and your friend over there look quite cozy.” He nods at Trevor who is currently singing along to a song.

“Trev?” Her nose turns up in disgust. “He’s like a brother. That’s like insinuating I have feelings for Archie which is just gross by the way. Also, why do you care?”

“I don’t care,” he says immediately.

“Okay, great, then why are we talking about this?”

He stares at her for another few seconds before he walks away without responding to her question.

She watches after him, completely baffled by the interaction and mutters under her breath, “Rude.” She finishes making her drink and grabs a bag of pretzels to snack on.

She walks back towards Trevor and is mildly annoyed to see that Jughead is now standing next to him and they’re happily chatting about their respective jobs. Apparently, they’re both analysts in different industries. Trevor works for an energy start up and Jughead works for Goldman Sachs, of all places. She doesn’t think he looks like a banker but that would explain the pretentious asshole vibe she keeps getting from him. Betty takes a deep breath and tries her best to smile as she rejoins them. Why did Trevor have to be so friendly?

Also, why is Jughead suddenly everywhere she is?

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

As the concert winds down, Betty’s delightfully sweaty and warm. Josie, Val, and Mel had put on another amazing performance and she couldn’t help but dance and sing along to all their songs. Betty’s still feeling a little buzzed and she presses a bottle of ice water up against her face, relishing in the cool feel.

“Are you coming to the after party?” Josie asks, sidling up next to her.

“I’m exhausted. I think I’m just going to call it a night.” Betty answers. “I can just hop in an Uber or something.”

“I can take you back to your hotel.”

They both turn to face Jughead. Josie smiles at him and quirks an eyebrow. Betty’s surprised at his offer and can find no good reason to turn him down.

“Are you sure you don’t want to-”

“Nah.” He interrupts before she can finish the question. “The club scene is not really for me.”

Betty suppresses her snarky comment and merely nods. She says her goodbyes and gives Josie a big hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Josie nods, promising brunch plans, and waves goodbye.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty thinks it’s sweet that Jughead offers to take her back to the hotel. She can’t believe she’s actually thinking something nice about him. It feels strange to her, not to think he’s annoying. Maybe, there is actually a sweetheart underneath that jerk exterior.

She expects him to say goodbye when they enter the lobby but he insists on seeing her to her door, claiming that she’s drunk but at this point, she only has a light buzz, enough to lower her inhibitions. He stops in front of her hotel room door and continues talking, in the middle of giving her an unwarranted review of the newest Marvel movie.

She just wants to shut him up, and it feels like she moves in slow motion when she does it. She pulls him in for a kiss. His lips are warm and firm against hers and it only takes him a moment to swallow the surprise and deepen the kiss. His tongue massages hers and she moans into his mouth as she relaxes against his body, her hands coming up to press against his chest. Her last thought before it all melts away is how nice his lips feel against hers.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

It’s so bright.

She blinks her eyes open and immediately regrets the action. She places her arm on her face, trying her best to block out the sunlight. Then she notices it. Her soulmark still reads 0 but now it’s illuminated. _Shit._

She scrambles upright in the bed and her eyes are comically wide. Next to her is a semi-nude Jughead. She can’t tell if he’s wearing any bottoms because it’s covered by a white sheet. She lifts the sheet carefully and peeks under. Of course, his ass is perfectly toned.

Well, fuck. They definitely slept together. She reaches forward and lifts his wrist up. The glowing 0 shines back at her as if taking joy in taunting her.

Oh god. This can’t possibly be happening. How can they be soulmates when she doesn’t even like him? She only remembers bits and pieces of their conversations from last night. She remembers thinking that he is a pretentious asshole. It doesn’t matter if he is hot as sin; that doesn’t make him any less of a butt.

She nurses her pounding headache and slaps her hand against his shoulder repeatedly. “Yo, wake up. Wake up!”

“What?” He manages to say as he pushes her hands away. “It’s so early. Why are you awake right now?”

She lifts his wrist up and shoves it into his face. “This is why I’m awake.”

He blinks his blue eyes open and she’s momentarily stunned. He really does have the most beautiful eyes even if he is a jerk. He glances at his wrist and then immediately drops it back down.

“So?”

“So?” She parrots back and nearly screeches. “So you don’t think the fact that we’re soulmates is something that you should be awake for?”

“I don’t know why you’re so riled up about this. Okay, we’re soulmates. So what?”

“Oh my god. So what? This is the reason why I don’t want to be your soulmate. I don’t even like you.”

“You seemed to like me enough last night.”

Flashes of him thrusting deeply into her while she throws her head back and moans fill her head and she immediately starts to blush, suddenly remembering every vivid detail of the night before.

“You are just further reaffirming my point of why I don’t like you, you smug bastard.”

“Can we have this conversation later when we’re both actually awake?” He mutters as he pulls her closer. He wraps his arms around her and she freezes, her body becoming stiff.

“I’m really not in the mood to cuddle right now.”

“You want to do something besides cuddling?” He pushes his hips gently into her backside and she reaches behind her to slap him away.

She debates about running away but she can’t very well do that since they’re currently in her hotel room. She wonders if she has enough strength and energy to forcibly remove him from the room. Probably not. She buries her face into the pillow and sighs.

Well, she found her soulmate.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I made Jug a financial analyst at a big bank. I know some of you are going to be like wtf he would never take that job but I promise you that this is actually relevant to the plot. Trust in me! :)


	3. I’m loud because maybe you’re the one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, friends! Updates for all :) 
> 
> In case it’s not clear, Betty is 22 and Jughead is 25. 
> 
> The biggest thank you and hugs go to Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) and Sarah ([theheavycrown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theheavycrown/pseuds/theheavycrown)) for all their help and support with this. Love you 3000.

__

_But I cannot break this habit, pure anxiety_   
_Stuck here searching for some words that you might need_   
_Maybe you don’t need them, it’s not what we’re about_   
_And maybe I’ll just slow it down_   
_I cannot hold my tongue, you give me much to say_   
_I’m sweating bullets, nervous that you’ll push away_   
_And when your eyes catch mine, I know I talk too much_   
_So give me your two lips and baby, I’ll shut up_

_“Shut up” by Greyson Chance_

**Chapter 3: I’m loud because maybe you’re the one ******

Jughead is a really good cuddler.

She had been determined to stare off at the wall instead of give in but instead, she manages to fall back asleep, despite her best intentions. She wakes up several hours later to the most comforting warmth. She keeps her eyes shut as she snuggles back into him a little further, enjoying the feel of his body against hers. She feels strangely content and happy—like she never wants to move from this spot between his arms.

Betty hears him stir and clamps her eyes shut as she waits to see what he does. She’s surprised when he seems to fumble around for his phone, she’s guessing to check the time and any messages, before he curls up behind her again and pulls her even closer. She can feel his breath hot against her neck as he places the gentlest kiss in the crook.

“I know you’re awake.”

She bites her lip before she leans her head back against his chest. “Spoilsport.”

“How’d you sleep?” He asks as he brushes the hair out of her face. He’s being so sweet and gentle and she feels a little dizzy since this is the complete opposite of what he was like yesterday. She supposes she doesn’t really know him even if he is her soulmate. They met less than 24 hours ago.

“Surprisingly well. It’s been really hard for me to fall asleep these last few weeks on the road. Something about an unfamiliar bed, you know?”

She’s been dealing with insomnia for years—since high school. It’s hard to turn off her brain sometimes and even when her body is physically exhausted, her mind will race and she’ll be forced to stay awake with her thoughts. Last night was the first night in a long time that she fell into a dreamless sleep.

“Have you tried any remedies?”

“Sometimes a little chamomile tea helps but honestly, I’ve kind of just dealt with it.”

His phone buzzes on the nightstand and he moves to look at it. She stretches her arms over her head and yawns, the sheet slipping from her grasp. She quickly pads into the bathroom to start her day, slightly embarrassed about her nudity. It’s not like he didn’t already see everything last night but there’s something about facing it in the harsh light of day that makes it more daunting. She’s never had confidence like Josie or Val.

The shower spray feels amazing against her skin and she turns up the heat. She massages shampoo into her hair and shuts her eyes, letting the water trickle down her face. As she washes it out, she feels a slight breeze and opens one eye in curiosity.

The curtain is open by a few inches and there’s a naked Jughead standing in front of her. Her eyes graze over him, focusing on the defined abdominal muscles and the curve of his arms. Why is he so hot?

“Where are your clothes?” Her eyes immediately trail down to a certain part of his body and he smirks at her.

“I’m not sure. You seemed kind of in a hurry last night when you were tearing my clothes off and you threw them every which way.”

Her cheeks grow red and she breaks his gaze, embarrassed.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t need clothes if I’m about to shower.”

“But, I’m in the shower.” She pulls at the curtain but he stops her and steps in, ignoring her outraged gasp.

“I see that. You know two people can use the shower at the same time.” He reaches around her to grab the shampoo.

She opens and closes her mouth a few times before she gives up. She grabs the body wash and starts to lather it all over herself, paying particular attention to her breasts. She notices out of the corner of her eye that she has his rapt attention and this time, it’s her turn to smirk.

She steps closer to him so she can stand under the water fully. Tilting her head back, she lets the spray fall down through her hair and sees his eyes darken considerably. She lifts her wrist up and rubs at her soulmark.

“Are we going to talk about—”

“Shut up.”

Without another word, he pulls her close and kisses her hard. He pushes her up against the cool tile and swallows her small gasp. His hands feel like they’re everywhere: cradling her chin, caressing her breasts, holding her tightly around her waist. His touch seems to burn into her and she wants to let the fire consume her until she feels him everywhere.

His hand comes down to her center and she spreads her legs quickly, eager to feel him closer. He kisses her on her chin and trails down to her neck where he sucks on the delicate skin, no doubt leaving a mark. He works her slowly and teasingly and she wonders at how he seems to know her body so well, understanding every mewl, soft sigh, and gasp. She bites into his shoulder as he pumps two fingers into her.

“You’re so wet.”

His husky voice sends shivers down her spine and she lets the sensations overtake her. Leaning her head back against the tile, she topples over the edge. When she comes down from it all, there’s a slight buzzing in her head and she slowly unclenches her toes. She tries to calm her breath and only then does she finally register that he’s sucking on her neck, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. She stretches her fingers, trying to regain feeling in them.

She blinks a few times and stares up at him, letting out a small laugh. “You’ll do anything to keep from talking about this.”

He places a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Let’s get some breakfast and then we can talk.”

000000000000000000000000000000000000

They walk in relative silence to a nearby diner that Jughead recommends. He’s insistent that they make the best old-fashioned cake donuts in the whole city and that’s enough to sway her. They grab a booth in the back and she pores over the extensive menu with excitement.

They order and Betty doesn’t even blink when she hears Jughead ordering enough for several people. After witnessing how much he ate yesterday, she isn’t surprised by his voracious appetite.

Betty glances at her phone while he rattles off what he wants to the waitress and notices an email. She opens it up without another thought.

_Dear Ms. Cooper,_

_Thank you so much for applying for the position of Editorial Assistant. We would like to move forward to the next stage and schedule an in-person interview with you. Please let us—_

She bounces in her seat and nearly drops her phone in excitement.

“You alright?” Jughead asks, clearly amused as he watches her.

“I got an interview at this arts and culture magazine! This is amazing. This is the first official interview request that I’ve got and— Oh my god, what am I going to wear? I need to start preparing.”

The words come out of her mouth in a wild rush and she looks as if she’s about to run out of the restaurant.

“You seem like the type that’s always prepared.” He comments.

“I may be.” She concedes with a small smile. “I’m sorry. I’m frazzled now.”

“Don’t apologize. So, this job is back in New York?”

“Yes.”

“And what about—” he lifts up his arm, his soulmark on display.

“I don—” she falters, not really knowing how to respond. “I honestly didn’t think much of it when I was applying to jobs.” She pauses and bites her bottom lip. “I mean, what do you want me to do? Move here? I can’t uproot my whole life for someone I don’t even know.”

“Not even for your soulmate?”

Betty looks out the window, avoiding his gaze. “My career is important to me, Jughead. I’ve built my whole life in New York. So, no, not even for my soulmate.”

“Interesting. On a certain level, I respect that.”

Her brow furrows at this answer. She’s surprised by it and she doesn’t really know what else to say so she changes the subject. “So, what do you do?”

He launches into a brief explanation of his job. His voice turns cool as if he’s reading something from a manual. “My day-to-day changes but it’s mostly doing industry research to help a client make smart investment decisions.”

“And do you like it?” She asks.

He shrugs. “It pays the bills.”

“I don’t think I could ever work at a job I didn’t love. Don’t you want to do something you’re passionate about?”

He moves to speak before he pauses. He takes in a deep breath. “I write.”

“Really?” She asks. “What about?”

“I’m working on a true crime novel but I’ve also written a few short stories here and there about different things that interest me.”

“That’s great. So, if you’re a writer, why did you go into banking?”

Jughead sits back in the booth and runs a hand through his inky hair. “I got my scholarship and acceptance letter from the University of Chicago the same week that my dad got sentenced to 5 years in prison. Fate works in funny ways like that.” He pauses before continuing. “He got released 2 years ago and hasn’t contacted me or my sister, Jelly, since. I guess, in a way, he disowned us years ago when he first got involved in a gang.”

Her mouth immediately drops open and she reaches forward to squeeze his hand. “Oh, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

“Thankfully, I turned 18 before he was sentenced. I became my sister’s legal guardian and while people were partying and getting drunk, having the full college experience, I was helping my 11-year-old sister with her math homework. The campus was close to where we lived anyway so I just commuted every day from home.”

“Jug, I—”

“So, yeah, not all of us came from picture perfect family backgrounds and had the privilege to pursue our dreams. I studied Finance and took my job at Goldman three years ago because I knew it would pay the bills. Now I can provide for my sister and she can go to whatever school she wants.”

Heat rises in her cheeks and she doesn’t know how to respond to that. She’s never had to make that kind of sacrifice and especially so young at 18. Some days, she feels like she can barely take care of herself, much less become the whole world to a younger sister. It’s an incredible responsibility and suddenly, all she feels is shame and guilt that she judged him so quickly.

“That’s amazing, Jug. Your sister is really lucky to have someone like you in her life.” She finally says after a few awkward quiet moments.

He seems to accept this and their conversation moves on to lighter topics.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty decides that books and travel seem to be relatively safe topics for them. They walk alongside the river, their bodies in sync, and she admires the architecture of the towering buildings.

“This is so beautiful.” She murmurs as they make their way across the bridge.

“You should take the boat tour while you’re here if you have a chance.”

She stops at the center of the bridge and peers over the side. “Why don’t we do it now?”

“Yeah?” he asks with a smile.

“Let’s do it.”

They descend the bridge and walk towards the river. Jughead leads her to the ticketing booth and shushes her when she asks to pay for her ticket. This feels like a date but a part of her wonders if it actually is. Is this a one night stand? Probably not since they seem to be spending quite a lot of time together this morning. Can you even have one night stands with your soulmate?

They still haven’t really talked about that yet and she thinks by the way that he’s avoiding the subject, they probably won’t. They get onto the boat and Betty climbs to the top floor and leans over the ledge, enjoying the breeze.

“It’s the perfect day.”

“We don’t get many of those here.” He juts his chin up towards the sunbeams and she can’t help but gawk at him. The way the rays hit his face makes him look years younger. He looks relaxed and calm. He’s gorgeous.

She doesn’t say much as the boat putters gently down the river. Instead, she rests against the railing, her back so close to his chest that she can feel his body heat emanating and maybe even the lines of his abdominal muscles. She’s woken from her reverie by her phone buzzing. It’s Josie.

“Hello?”

“B, are you awake? I’ve been knocking on your door for the last 5 minutes. Brunch remember? You sleep like the dead apparently.”

“Oh shit,” she says. She glances at Jughead apologetically and mouths ‘Josie’ to him before he nods and she walks a little further along to the other side of the boat.

“Wait, are you not in your room? Where are you, you wily minx?”

“I’m on a boat.”

“Excuse me?”

Betty lets out a tiny nervous giggle. “Umm, so I may have found my soulmate last night.”

“What? And, now you’re on a boat with them? Wait, are they rich? Do they own a yacht? Oh my god—”

She interrupts her best friend’s ramble. “No, Josie, it’s not like that. It’s Jughead.”

“What? Jughead’s on the boat too? I’m confused.”

“Yes, Jughead’s on the boat and he’s my soulmate,” Betty says, lowering her voice.

“I knew that boy liked you. He could not keep his eyes off of you last night.” Josie responds and Betty can hear the smirk in her voice.

“Number one, doubtful, and number two, I may or may not have slept with him.”

“I totally called it and I’m going to need all the nasty little details when you’re back on land.”

Betty sighs and bites her lip. “I think I made things weird between us. I said some things. He said some things. I honestly don’t even know if he’s interested.”

“Wait, I thought you said you guys slept together. If there was sex invovled, he’s definitely interested.”

“Jos, I think I made a complete ass of myself and I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m some privileged, sheltered girl.”

“What do you mean?”

Betty’s eyes widen when she notices Jughead walking towards her with two hot dogs in hand. “I gotta go. He’s walking over. I’ll text you when I get back to the hotel and you can grill me later.”

“Oh trust me, I have several questions,” Josie says with a laugh.

They say their goodbyes and Betty hurriedly shoves her phone in her pocket as he approaches her.

“So, I know hot dogs from the boat kitchen is not the most reliable thing but you really can’t leave this city without at least trying one Chicago-style hot dog.” He hands her a hot dog piled high with various toppings.

She takes a delicate bite and he watches her with a curious expression.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I think it’s amusing that Chicagoans put everything on a hot dog except ketchup.”

“Oh, never ketchup,” he says with a decisive shake of his head. “But, it’s good right?”

She takes another bite, this time larger. “It’s really tasty, I have to admit.”

“Don’t you know, Cooper? I’m always right.”

This time, when he smirks at her, she feels flutters in her stomach and her heart clenches.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Jughead walks Betty back to the hotel. It’s nearly a mile and a half and they spend the walk getting to know each other a little better.

He reveals more details about his upbringing: his mother abandoned them soon after his sister Jellybean was born, his dad always had a troubling relationship with alcohol and was the leader of a gang, and Jughead spent most of his childhood not being much of a child at all. He had to grow up way too fast.

She, in turn, tells him about her overbearing mother and apathetic father who forced her to be the ideal All-American daughter and perfect teenager. She started to distance herself during college. The physical distance between Riverdale and Manhattan helped the most. But, Betty also started to become more confident and learned how to say no. The transition was difficult, but she thinks she has a much healthier relationship with her parents now that they respect her decisions and boundaries.

When she started to describe the toxic relationship she had with her mother and the unrealistic standards that they had put upon her, guilt flashes across his face.

“Look, Betty, I’m sorry about what I said before.”

“No, Jug, don’t be sorry, please. I understand where you’re coming from and I’m sorry if I was being a brat. You’re right—you had the weight of your whole family’s responsibilities on your shoulders and I’ll never know what that felt like. It was wrong of me to judge.”

“Thanks for saying that,” he whispers quietly. His phone buzzes and he sighs as he looks down. “Okay, that’s Archie for the fiftieth time. I should go to his room.”

“It was nice to meet you, Jughead Jones, my soulmate and the light of my life,” she says teasingly. “I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you around.” He smiles at her and she feels her resolve start to melt because he’s just so handsome and she can’t stop staring at him. Something pangs in her chest as she forces herself to turn on her heel and walk away.

0000000000000000000000000000000

When Betty returns to her hotel room, she texts Josie that she’s back and starts to pack up her things. The tour is continuing to St. Louis and Betty plans to return to New York, her interview, and her normal life. The last 24 hours have been so bizarre. So much has changed yet so much has stayed the same. She doesn’t know what to make of it.

There’s a knock on her door and a small part of her hopes it’s Jughead even though she knows it’s not. It’s Josie.

“Okay, you need to tell me everything right now.” Her best friend demands as she pushes her way into the room. She flops onto the bed and sits up on her elbows, staring expectantly at Betty.

Betty launches into her story and tells her everything: from his constant presence at the concert to their unsure and awkward goodbye.

She finally finishes and takes a sip of water, her throat dry from the continuous monologue.

“Okay, and?” Josie asks as she gestures wildly with her hands in an expressive fashion.

“What do you mean, and? That’s it. I’m going to go back to New York and he’s going to stay here. End of story.”

“Why are you leaving? You just found your soulmate.”

“I got an interview at that magazine I really love. It’s next week and you guys are leaving for St. Louis tomorrow so it’s time for me to go back to reality,” Betty says with a nod, as if trying to convince herself as well.

“This is reality. Babe, you can’t just leave.”

“Jos, he lives in Chicago with his sister and I live in New York. It’s not going to work.” Betty lies down on the bed and Josie immediately rolls on her side to face her.

“So make it work! He’s your soulmate, Betty. He is literally the love of your life. You need to go find him right now and make this happen.”

“I can’t. Besides if we were really soulmates and meant to be, the universe will throw us back together at some point.”

“You are so annoyingly stubborn sometimes. I feel like there are some underlying issues here that you’re avoiding and you’re deliberately running away from him.”

Betty doesn’t respond. Instead, she wraps her arm around Josie and hugs her. “I’m going to miss you so much. I can’t believe you’re going to leave me for an entire month.”

“You’ll survive.” Josie giggles and slaps her gently. “Also, stop trying to distract me from your issues.”

“Just let it be, Jos. You can bother me about it when you’re back in New York. I promise my issues will still be there.”

Josie looks at Betty seriously, brown eyes staring into green. “Do you have feelings for him?”

Betty’s taken aback and falters. She moves away. “I met him 24 hours ago. It’s too soon to have feelings.”

“It’s not too soon and he’s your soulmate. It’s okay to have feelings.”

Betty doesn’t answer. Instead, she snuggles further into Josie and lets out a heavy sigh, trying her best not to think about the way Jughead’s arms feel when they’re wrapped around her and the taste of his lips against hers.

She knows she’s running. She just doesn’t know if she wants him to chase her.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000


	4. What would you do if I could have you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, everyone! Y'ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS. Update, update, update.
> 
> I’m going to need everyone to go watch this clip from [RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 2 ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBtdF2hXuCk) right now. It’s featured in this next chapter. Add a little fabulous to your Friday. 
> 
> The fabulous moodboard below was done by Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)), my one true love. You are amazing and phenomenal - thank you, thank you!

__

_I don’t mind saying that part of me left with you_  
_One of these days_  
_I won’t be afraid of staying with you_  
_I hope and I pray_  
_Waiting to find a way back to you cause that’s where I’m home_  
_Did I make you nervous? Did I ask for too much?_  
_Was I not deserving one second of your touch?_

_“One of these days” by Michelle Branch_

**Chapter 4: What would you do if I could have you?**

Two months fly by in a blur. Betty returns to New York and over-prepares for her interview, acing it, of course. She’s offered the job a week and a half later and she starts almost immediately. Josie sends her snaps on a daily basis and it _almost_ feels like she’s right there with her, enjoying traveling across the country for the rest of the tour.

But she’s not.

Instead, she forces herself to be a functioning adult and hold down a regular job. It’s a weird transition from senior year of college but she loves the normality of it all. She now has her favorite coffee shop that she goes to in the morning to pick up her daily nonfat vanilla latte. There’s a sushi place around the corner from her apartment that she goes to when she has a bad day. And she can actually afford sushi now that she has an income. It’s a good feeling.

Josie’s been back for about three weeks now and has finally regained enough energy to throw a ‘welcome back’ party for herself. Betty’s pretty sure that other people are supposed to throw that type of thing for you but she’s not going to correct her best friend. She’s tried to talk Josie out of things before and it never ended well or in her favor.

So on Friday night after work, Betty heads to the liquor store and purchases Josie’s favorite bottle of Riesling. She walks into her apartment and puts the white wine in the fridge so that it can be chilled and ready to drink later.

Her roommate, Kevin, is sitting on the couch watching RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 2. Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna are on the screen about to lip-sync for their legacy.

Betty jumps onto the couch next to him. “Oh my god, wait, wait, wait. Don’t start it without me.”

He sniggers and waits for her to get settled before pressing play. Rihanna’s ‘Shut Up and Drive’ blasts through the speakers and they watch, completely enthralled as the queens grace the dance floor on the screen.

“God,” Kevin laments. “I really wish I could look like that in drag.”

“You’d look even more gorgeous. What are you saying?”

“I think my shoulders are too wide.”

“A complete lie. Don’t even think it.” She insists as she hugs him.

As the episode ends, Betty leans back against the cushions. “Oh my god, I’m so exhausted. Do I really have to go to this party tonight?”

“Well, unless you want Josie to storm over here and drag you out by your ears, you better,” Kevin says as he plays the next episode.

Betty curls up next to him and lets herself doze off a bit. She yawns. “Kev, wake me up in a hour, okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” He kisses the top of her head and continues watching the episode.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty lets Kevin pick out her outfit for the night which is why she’s in a floral crop top paired with a black mini-skirt and a chunky bangle bracelet. She thought about wearing a light sweater but he nearly smacked it out of her hands with a deliberate ‘nope’ before he exited her room dramatically.

So, she found herself, an hour later, walking out of the subway station, slightly chilly even though it’s a late August evening. She wraps her arms around herself as her heels clack against the sidewalk. She can’t believe Kevin managed to convince her to wear high heels. That never happens.

Thankfully, it’s a short walk to Josie’s apartment. She walks up a flight of stairs and enters the building, waving hello to the concierge. Kevin opens the door and she’s surprised at the number of people already here. At this point, they are fashionably late.

Josie’s apartment is lined with hardwood floors and the walls are exposed brick. She also lives alone. It’s the type of apartment that Betty can only dream of living in one day. She knows her best friend deserves every good thing that she has though; Josie’s worked relentlessly hard over the last few years to build her music career.

Betty finds her and greets her with a big smile, hugging her tightly. “The place looks great, Jos. Welcome back!” She hands her the bottle of wine.

“Oh thank you! And I know, right?” Josie points at the sparkly lights above them. “I hung that, can you believe it? I literally thought I was going to break my neck but thankfully Reggie saved me before I could do too much damage.”

Reggie meanders over, probably hearing his name being referenced. He hugs Josie around the waist and she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. Betty still finds it hard to believe that Josie and Reggie met less than a month ago. He attended one of the Pussycat concerts in Los Angeles at the behest of a friend and miraculously, they found each other afterwards when they realized that the number on their respective wrists had dwindled to 0.

A small part of Betty is jealous. They look so happy. Of course, they do. They’re soulmates. It is so easy for them to be together.

Once they realized the truth, Reggie followed Josie back to New York. He said that he didn’t mind leaving California since his whole life was in a state of flux anyway. He had just graduated college and was job-searching. His entire family had moved back to Korea for retirement so it was just him. His tether was Josie, his soulmate, so he followed her.

They make it look so simple and Betty’s envious of it.

She pushes the feeling down. She really has no right to be jealous. She’s the one that ran in the opposite direction from her own soulmate. She thinks about that day that she spent with Jughead often - definitely much more than she’d like or she should. She can’t help but fixate on it. She was happy. He made her happy. And then she left.

He didn’t come after her. Did she want him to?

Yes, she thinks that at the end of the day, she did. She hoped that he would but he didn’t. She tries not to look at her soulmark anymore, usually wearing a bracelet or another piece of jewelry over it so she doesn’t focus on the numbers.

She snaps herself out of her thoughts and moves to the kitchen island to pour herself a glass of wine. She sips on the cheap Chardonnay and moves towards a group of familiar friends. She makes small talk with them and bobs her head to the music.

She feels oddly distracted for some reason and she keeps wanting to turn her body to face a different direction. It’s strange and unsettling and she doesn’t really know what to make of it.

When she finishes her wine that she had been nursing for the last hour, she turns around, moves to the bar once again and spots a familiar redhead. She pours herself another glass and then walks up to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Miss me?”

“Surprisingly yes,” Archie says as he gives her a big hug.

“You look so tan right now. It’s a little jarring with your hair honestly.”

“Thank you, as always, for your candor, Betty.” He shakes his head gently and lifts his arm to admire his own tan. “Val says I look hot so that’s all that matters.”

“You guys adjusting back to life on the east coast?”

“It’s a little weird not being on the road. I miss the beach.”

“I’m so jealous that I missed out. Why I decided to join the tour when we drove across the flat lands of the United States is beyond me.”

Archie laughs lightly. She’s missed hearing that sound. They start talking about his various adventures and all the crazy things he saw and did while on tour. Val joins them mid-way through their conversation and Betty gushes about how much she missed her.

Betty feels him before she sees him. Her wrist throbs and she looks down to see her soulmark glow brightly. She turns quickly and nearly collides with him. His hands come up to encircle and steady her.

It’s Jughead. Jughead is here in New York.

“Why are you here?”

She doesn’t mean for it to come out quite like that but nevertheless, these are the first words she says to him after two long months apart. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Archie and Val usher the rest of the group away from them awkwardly.

“What do you mean why am I here? It’s a party so I’m here to celebrate,” Jughead says, the smirk ever present on his face. “Why, aren’t you happy to see me?”

She ignores his last question. “No, I mean why are you here in New York. Don’t you live in Chicago?”

“I got transferred to the New York office so now I’m here.”

“What? Why?” Her eyes widen at this.

“What do you mean why? It’s one of the biggest cities on the planet, Betty. You don’t own it.”

“But you love Chicago!” She exclaims. He moved here for you, she thinks. It can’t be true right? “Did you follow me here?” She really needs to work on her tact.

“I didn’t follow you here. If anything, I followed my sister here but I’ll never admit that to her. She’s going to Vassar. I’m here because I got promoted and the position is based in New York. It’s as simple as that. I actually knew about it already when we met in Chicago.”

Betty lifts her wrist and points her soulmark in his direction. “Really, this had nothing to do with it?”

“Nope, not at all.”

She’s not sure what to think. “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”

“It didn’t seem like this soulmate relationship thing was a priority for you so I didn’t say anything. Plus, it’s more fun this way. You’re cute when you’re all angry and huffy.”

The smirk is back on his face and she has the sudden urge to slap it off his face. That or kiss him. She’s not sure which one she wants to do more.

“So what does this mean?” She asks.

“What does what mean?”

“For us.” She gestures to the space between them. “What does this mean for us?”

“What do you want it to mean?” He’s being deliberately obtuse, she knows it. He enjoys deflecting and pissing her off.

“Can you just stop being an ass and actually answer my question?”

“You need to decide what you want. I thought I made it very obvious what I want.”

“I-” she falters. Is that true? Did he make it obvious and she just failed to read every sign? Maybe he’s right. Maybe she’s the one that’s being obtuse. “I want to date.”

“Date?” He draws the word out into a question.

“Yes, date. I want you to date me.”

He furrows his brow and she thinks it’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen. “Why? We’re soulmates. Shouldn’t we just be together?”

“Nope.” She crosses her arms in front of her.

“I really don’t understand how I got assigned the strangest soulmate in the universe.”

“It’s not like a school project,” she says, annoyed.

“It kind of feels like it is.”

She squints at him and he pulls her close, his arm wrapped around her waist so she can’t move or struggle.

“I’m kidding,” he says.

His face is so close to hers. She looks up at him and places her palms flat on his chest.

“This isn’t dating,” she whispers.

His head dips closer and all she wants in that moment is for him to kiss her. He leans in a little closer and his nose brushes against hers.

“I don’t care,” he says gruffly.

And then he’s kissing her and she feels boneless as he devours her. His hands grip her a little tighter around the waist and she can feel the heat radiating off his body. He tastes like peppermint and something uniquely Jughead. It’s intoxicating. She should pull away and stop kissing him. After all, they were standing in the middle of a party. It isn’t exactly the ideal place for a hot make out session but her limbs aren’t functioning. She can’t make herself move and she doesn’t want to.

Instead, her arms wrap around his neck and she pulls him closer so they can deepen their kiss.

Maybe this party isn’t so bad after all.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

They go to a cute and popular bagel shop near Tompkins Square Park the next day. She gets a sesame bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese. He orders a steak, egg and cheese bagel sandwich. They grab their bag of food and their coffees and walk to the nearby park. She points out her favorite bench that’s under a large overhanging tree so it provides the perfect amount of shade and sun.

She takes a big bite of her bagel and moans slightly at how delicious it is. They’re both quiet as they eat their breakfast. She watches as a few sweaty men run in front of them and she’s so impressed that people can bring themselves to run in this heat. She turns to him slightly, happy to see the relaxed expression on his face.

“So, when did you get here?” She finally asks between bites.

“Only about two weeks ago. I helped Jellybean move in and get settled up in Poughkeepsie and then came here. Thankfully, my company is paying for a fully furnished apartment for the first three months while I figure things out and find a more permanent place.”

“That’s pretty amazing that they’re willing to do that.”

“Invest in your talent, right?” He says with a small smile. “There are some perks to selling your soul and working at a corporate bank.”

She finishes her bagel and takes a sip of her coffee. “So, how’s your sister adjusting? Or better question, how are you adjusting now that she’s not around all the time?”

He laughs and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “Yeah, I’m definitely feeling the empty nest syndrome. You'd think I’d be too young to have that but I miss her a lot. I’m happy for her though. She was so excited to move in and buy all her textbooks and school supplies.”

“New school supplies were always my favorite part of starting a new academic year. There’s just something about the feel of a brand new spiral notebook and fresh pens.”

“You guys would get along. She’s probably the smartest person I know and therefore also the biggest nerd.”

Betty reaches over and squeezes his knee. “It sounds like you did a wonderful job raising her, Jug.”

There’s a look in his eyes that she can’t quite place. He smiles at her. “She’s coming to visit in three weeks. Maybe you’d like to meet her?”

“I’d love that.”

He can’t seem to stop smiling at her and it makes her heart seize up. She looks away and starts to survey her surroundings again. She asks him about his new apartment and job. He talks about his easy commute since he can just walk to work. The new job is stressful but he finds he excels at the additional responsibilities. Plus his speciality is so hyper-focused which means there’s job security because there’s only a handful of people in the industry with the expertise he has. He enjoys researching and becoming extremely knowledgeable in his field. The hours are surprisingly more manageable than his previous position and his salary increased by almost 30% so all in all, it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to him.

“Also, I didn’t exactly mind moving a little closer to my soulmate.”

His tone is light but she can hear the raw truthfulness in his voice. She swallows the lump in her throat uncomfortably. She’s never been good with communicating about her feelings. She grew up in a family where they never really talked about feelings and she was forced to repress most of what she was going through in her teenage years. The focus was always on advancement, never emotions.

She’s uneasy and she doesn’t know what to say to that admission of his feelings so she deflects - it’s what she knows and what she’s been taught.

“Why didn’t you reach out?”

He seems startled by her sudden question. He sighs and looks at her intently. “I didn’t think you wanted me to.” He pauses for a moment and asks. “Why didn’t you reach out?”

“I didn’t think you wanted me to.” She mimics before she clasps her hands together in front of her. “We’re really bad at this, aren’t we?”

“The worst, honestly.”

Betty looks away from him because she doesn’t think she has enough within her to admit these next words while watching his reaction. “I’m not good with this kind of thing. It’s hard for me to talk about my feelings. I’m pretty much the worst communicator ever.”

“Same, actually,” he says with a light laugh. “We make quite the pair, don’t we?”

She nods quietly and doesn’t answer. She just stares at the wind moving through the trees, shaking the branches lightly. It’s mesmerizing and she needs a distraction.

She can’t look into his eyes because she’s scared of what she might find.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000


	5. I’ll belong to you if you just let me through

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, friends! You know what time it is. Enjoy, enjoy!
> 
> Thank you, as always, to my number one, Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)), for reading this over and being the best cheerleader ever. She also made the gorgeous aesthetic below.

_This is easy as lovers go so don’t complicate it by hesitating_  
_This is tailor-made, what’s the sense in waiting?_  
_I said, “I’ve got to be honest, I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”_  
_And being with you here makes me sane. I fear I’ll go crazy if you leave my side_  
_You’ve got wits, you’ve got looks, you’ve got passion_  
_But are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?_

_“As Lovers Go” by Dashboard Confessional_

**Chapter 5: I’ll belong to you if you just let me through**

Betty and Josie shuffle down the narrow hallway of the darkened restaurant and climb onto the bar stools. Behind the counter, a chef boils freshly-made noodles and chops up some scallions for garnishing. Neither of them look at the menu; they both get the same thing every time. They place their orders with the waitress and soon, two cokes, an order of takoyaki and two steaming bowls of udon noodle soup are placed in front of them.

Betty likes hers with the marinated beef whereas Josie always gets it with vegetable tempura. Both of them dig in greedily, slurping up the delicious concoction.

“So how’s it going?” Josie asks, keeping it deliberately vague.

“Did you know he was moving here?” Per usual, Betty gets straight to the point.

Josie stops chewing for a moment and sips her coke. “Yes.”

Betty shakes her head. “I knew it! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Honestly?” Her best friend responds warily. “Because I knew you’d probably deliberately avoid him and not come to my party. So, I kind of just let it happen. How’d it go anyway?”

Betty swallows a big bite of noodles and pauses to contemplate the right words. “It was interesting,” she finally says. “We didn’t really talk at the party-”

“Yes, I saw you two sucking face.” Josie teases.

Betty breezes past this commentary. “And then he walked me home that night and we got bagels the next day and talked a little bit. Apparently, he got promoted so that’s why he moved here. Also, his sister is at Vassar now so I guess it made sense for him to transfer offices.”

“His promotion is why he moved here?” Josie asks, her voice strangely high-pitched and screechy, something she only does when she’s lying or hiding something. It’s one her most obvious tells.

Betty’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, he moved here for his promotion and for his sister. Why?” She cocks her head to the side. “What do you know?”

“Nothing,” Josie responds quickly. “So you guys are together then?”

“Kind of? I told him I want to date him.”

“But, you’re soulmates.”

“Yes, I know that. I am aware.”

“You want to _date_ ,” Josie says the word as if it’s a foreign concept to her, “your soulmate? I don’t get it.” She twists her nose up in the cutest fashion.

“What don’t you get? He’s essentially a complete stranger to me.”

“Didn’t you sleep with him?”

“That’s irrelevant,” Betty says quickly. “I just want to get to know him before I let myself fall into this, okay?”

“I mean, if that’s really the case, that’s great and fine. But, I just don’t want you to self-sabotage yourself.”

“I do not self-sabotage myself,” Betty responds in a haughty tone.

“You 100% do. Girl, I have been your best friend for the entirety of college. I know you way too well. You always do this. You run from anything that’s real and once you start to catch real feelings, you bolt in the opposite direction. I just don’t understand why.” Josie lays a comforting hand on Betty’s forearm and squeezes.

Betty sighs and she looks away, slightly ashamed. “I honestly don’t know why I’m like this. This is why I don’t understand why anyone would want to be in a relationship with me. I’ve never been in love and part of me is just terrified to let someone in like that. I mean, I’d just be offering my whole heart up to them as if asking them to crush it.”

“But what if they don’t crush it?” Josie asks.

Betty snorts. “Yeah, I guess that’s a possibility but soulmates don't necessarily guarantee a happy ending or protection from heartbreak.” She taps her fingers against the counter and pauses thoughtfully. “Just think of all the relationships you’ve witnessed in your life - how many of them have lasted through the test of time? How many have truly been happy? I certainly can’t think of any. Not my parents, not your parents.”

“It’s still worth it to see though,” Josie says, ever the optimist and positive influence. “Just think - you can either take the risk and potentially experience the greatest love story of your life or you can hold back and always regret and wonder what would’ve happened if you just let yourself be.”

Josie emphasizes the last word. “I can tell you’re overthinking this already. Stop holding yourself back.”

Betty bites her bottom lip. Her noodle soup is long forgotten. “You know I’m risk averse, right?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Josie says with a smile. “Just let go.”

“How are you so optimistic?”

“You’ve only got one life, girl. You’ve got to actually live it.”

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Two weeks pass.

Betty realizes that she doesn’t really see much of Jughead during the work week which is fine, since she also has a full-time job. But, sometimes he doesn’t respond to her texts all day until midnight which she finds a little strange. Most of the time, she doesn’t see his texts until the next morning because she already went to sleep. He must be busy.

She invites him over for dinner on a Wednesday which she’s starting to think was a mistake. He’s late. Really late. So late that she finally broke down after the third unanswered and unread text and consumed ¾ of the pot of pasta that she had made. She saves him a plate and sticks it in the microwave.

She watches three episodes of the newest season of Queer Eye and is convinced that it must be Karamo’s goal in life to make her ugly cry. She’s sobbing at an episode that features a fishmonger with ambitions to become a restaurant owner when she hears the knock at the door.

She wraps the blanket around herself. She realizes that she looks a little ridiculous because she’s still wearing a slinky black dress for her date but she couldn’t bring herself to change or care.

It’s Jughead. Well, he finally decided to show up.

She sniffles.

“Are you crying? Betty, oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he says immediately as his arms come up to cradle her neck and head. “I’m so sorry.” He repeats as he kisses her hair.

“Oh, I’m not crying about you,” she says against his chest, her voice muffled.

“What are you crying about then?” He asks.

“Queer Eye,” she says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. She leads him to the couch and she turns on the microwave. She moves around the kitchen and starts to pour him a glass of wine when he stops her.

“Water is fine.”

“Really?”

He smiles wryly. “If I drink that, I might collapse.” He leans his head back against the couch. “I might collapse anyway.”

“Did you come from work?” She checks the clock on her stove. It’s past 11PM. Usually, by this time, she would be getting ready for bed if she hadn’t gotten sucked into the Netflix web.

“Yeah,” he answers evasively. He thanks her when she sets a plate of pasta and a glass of water in front of him. He practically inhales his dinner as she rewinds the episode and restarts it.

“This one is so good,” she says softly.

“I haven’t seen this season yet.”

“Well, then you’re in luck,” she responds with a smile.

In a few minutes, the plate is clean and he wraps his body around hers after he’s done eating. They watch the show for another 10 minutes when Betty realizes her arm is starting to fall asleep. She looks down and sees that Jughead’s breathing has evened and he’s very clearly asleep.

His eyes flutter a bit when she moves to drape the blanket over him. She smiles. When the episode finishes, she carefully moves out of his grasp despite his sleepy protests. She cleans up in the living room and kitchen and then leads him to her bedroom. He’s only conscious enough to not place his whole body weight on her but as soon he hits her pillows, he’s back asleep again.

That night, she curls herself around his warmth and falls into a dreamless sleep. She wakes up refreshed. She hasn’t slept that well in awhile. The other side of the bed is cold. She glances at the clock. It’s a little past 5:30AM and he’s already gone. She can’t help but feel a sense of loss that she doesn’t truly understand.

Her brows furrow. She notices a note on her nightstand.

_I’m sorry for being the worst date ever, beautiful. The pasta was delicious. I need to head into work. I’ll see you this weekend. - Jughead_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

That weekend, Betty and Jughead find themselves at opposite sides of her apartment. It’s early evening but the sun is still high in the sky, shining brightly. This is one of her favorite parts of summer: the extended daylight hours. Betty’s not thinking about that though; instead, her attention is focused fully on her soulmark.

“Okay, so it’s still glowing. Back up a little more.” Betty instructs.

“Can you explain to me again why we’re doing this again?” Jughead asks as he takes a few steps back. He looks down at his soulmark - it’s still glowing.

“It’s for science!” She insists.

“Yes, because this definitely meets the standards for a scientific experiment.” He rolls his eyes and then points at the door. “Okay, I’m literally backed up against the door right now so what do you want me to do? We’ve run out of space.”

“So, open the door and go outside.” She says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Wait, do we really have to do this where other people can see? This is embarrassing.”

“Okay, shut your beautiful mouth and back up another five feet away.” One hand is on her hip and the other is raised, soulmark on full view.

“You think I have a beautiful mouth?” He asks as he opens the door and keeps it open per her instructions.

“Shush. Now go!” She continues staring at her wrist and yells. “Okay, keep going! It’s still glowing.”

He starts to walk down the stairs, one by one. “Just holler when it stops glowing!”

“It’s still glowing. Also, why do I have to holler?” She screams out. “You have eyes too, you know. Just look down!”

“You’re still hollering!”

“You are too!”

“It’s still glowing!”

“I see that!”

Jughead has fully descended the stairs at this point and he peeks over the banister to see if Betty is still in the apartment. She’s not. She has her head poking out over the stairs, her hair perched unsteadily on the top of her head in a bun, wisps falling down to frame her face. It’s the most stunning sight and he finds himself entranced in her radiance. She’s beautiful.

She pouts. “It’s still glowing but I don’t get it. You’re so far away!”

“You know soulmate science is a mostly undiscovered field, right?” He says as he starts to walk up the stairs again. “Some people spend their whole lives researching this and it’s still a mystery.”

They walk back into her apartment and she closes the door with a disappointed exhale.

“Yeah, I know.” She sulks.

She’s so adorable and it pulls at his heart. He grabs her hand and kisses it softly. “We can do more tests.”

“You don’t think it’s annoying?” She asks hopefully.

“Oh no, it’s definitely annoying,” he says matter-of-factly.

Betty rolls her eyes and smacks him gently on the chest. She moves into the kitchen and starts rifling through the fridge. “Dinner?”

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty’s never been on a double date before. Kevin reassures her now that she is dating Jughead, she would have many more in her future, especially with him and Fangs. But her first official double date is with Archie and Val. Kevin helps her pick out an outfit because she doesn’t know what to wear to brunch at a Mediterranean fusion restaurant. She originally comes out of her room wearing jeans and a light sweater but Kevin marches her right back inside and makes her put on a cute yellow sundress instead.

“Betty, it’s like 80 degrees outside. You’ll overheat.” He insists.

“What if the restaurant’s cold?” She asks, fully aware that she sounds like a frail curmudgeon.

“I cannot with you right now.” He shoves the dress into her hands. “Wear this. If you come out wearing not this, I will forcibly dress you myself.”

“Okay, okay,” she mutters.

She puts on some concealer, dusts a bit of blush over her cheeks, dabs her lips with gloss and then puts on a few coats of mascara. When she re-emerges several minutes later, Kevin is thrilled with the end result.

“You look gorg,” he says as he fluffs up her hair a bit.

She smiles at him and turns when she hears the knock on the door. When she opens the door, Jughead is standing there with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers bursting in yellow and peach colors. She can’t help but gasp.

No one’s ever bought her flowers in a romantic context before. Sure, she gotten flowers from her parents when she graduated from high school and college but this feels different.

This is different.

She takes the bouquet from his outreached hands and leans up to place the gentlest of kisses against his warm cheek.

“Thank you.” She breathes against him.

“Of course,” he murmurs in response, his hand coming up to her waist and squeezing.

She immediately moves into the kitchen to trim the stems and places the bouquet in a vase. She hears Jughead and Kevin talking in the background and Kevin sounds excited. It’s intriguing -- Jughead seems to have the ability to strike a conversation with just about anyone but she supposes that’s one of the skills that’s required for someone that manages multi-million dollar accounts and clients. He appears to be at ease when he does it but she’s starting to understand his tells better. His right hand is on his knee and he taps his fingers against his thigh -- he’s slightly uncomfortable. His smile, though wide, is forced.

He hates small talk.

Sometimes, she’ll see this side of him: what he presents to the outside world, this polished and high achieving version of himself. It’s a carefully constructed veneer and she can only see through it if she concentrates. She’s always been good at reading people. And at other times, she’s privy to a whole other part: the quiet, thoughtful, and stoic Jughead. It gives her whiplash at times with how fast he can switch between the two personalities.

She moves the vase to the living room, placing it on a table next the window so it can get the proper amount of sunlight. She rearranges it a few times before she’s finally pleased. She wipes her hands on a kitchen towel and then moves towards Jughead.

“Ready?”

“Have fun, you two,” Kevin says with a smile. “Betty, get the rosewater waffle. No yogurt or salads, okay?”

Betty rolls her eyes as she drags Jughead out of the apartment. She’s still confused as to why Jughead insisted on coming to pick her up. His apartment is only a 25 minute walk from the restaurant. But since he asserted that he would come to her apartment first, which is on the opposite side of Manhattan from him, it probably added more than 30 - 45 minutes onto his journey.

She doesn’t know what to make of it but she decided a few days ago that she would stop deliberately instigating arguments with him so she doesn’t ask. She leaves it alone.

He’s unusually quiet as they get on the subway and she takes the time to carefully take in every detail of his face: his stunningly beautiful blue eyes, the straight line of his nose, and the light sprinkling of freckles across his cheek. He’s been getting a lot of sun lately.

New York City in the summertime is one of her favorite things on earth. She spends as much time outside as possible because she needs to make up for the months that she usually remains indoors during the winter when there’s nothing but snow piles and slush on the sidewalks. She’s been forcing him to spend his free time, as little of it that he has, with her outside, usually reading on the grass or just taking a walk and basking in the sunshine. It’s resulted in his bronzed skin looking tanner than usual.

It’s distracting how attractive he is.

She barely tans. Her skin is so pale and privy to sunburns that most of the time, she turns red instead of tan.

Her eyes smooth over his face, as if she is caressing him gently. He stares out the window at the blackness of the underground, into nothingness. He has wrinkles around the corners of his eyes and she can see the shadows underneath them have gotten significantly darker.

“Have you been sleeping?”

“What?” His head snaps back towards her and his eyes widen slightly, as if alarmed by the question. The unease quickly dissipates and it’s replaced by aloofness. “Yes, I’ve been sleeping fine.”

She eyes him suspiciously and leans forward. “You look tired.”

He snorts at this. “How kind of you to point out.”

“Jughead,” she says as she scoots closer. She squeezes his hand gently. “You know you can talk to me if something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he responds quickly.

She raises an eyebrow at this, completely unconvinced.

He sighs and loosens his grip on her hand. “Work has been,” he pauses, searching for the right word. “Stressful.”

“Stressful how?”

“I haven’t really had time to sleep.”

“At all?” She asks.

“A few hours a night.” He finally concedes.

“What’s a few hours?”

He extricates his hand from hers and places it flat on his thigh, distinctly away from her. “Do you really have to push this?”

“Do you not want me to push this?” She asks, concern evident in her voice.

“No, I really don’t.” He lets out a sigh and turns so his knees knock into hers gently. “It’s just a part of the job, okay? The hours suck but the pay makes up for it. It’s worth it.”

“Jughead, do you realize that earlier this week you arrived at my house at like 11:30PM and you were gone by 5:30AM? I’m guessing you got, what? 4 hours of sleep that night? Probably less? That’s not good for you long term.”

“I don’t need you to monitor my sleeping hours, Betty.” His voice is harsh and his words feel pointed.

“I-” she starts to say but the doors of the train open and he’s bolting out of his seat and exiting. They’re at their stop. She sighs and shakes her head briefly before she gets up to follow him.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Things are tense between them when they arrive at the restaurant and Betty feels like the whole world can tell. She’s fidgety and self-conscious and tries to make up for the awkwardness by being more awkward. It’s not helping.

They follow Val into the restaurant and Betty’s eyes widen as they bypass the line. She’s never been here before. She’s heard about the restaurant but they don’t take reservations for parties under 6 and there’s always a wait.

“How are we not at the end of the line right now?” Betty asks as a few people in said line stare daggers at them.

“The owner is a Pussycats fan,” Val answers with a smile as she looks over the menu.

“My girl always hooks us up,” Archie says as he kisses Val on the cheek. It’s a sweet gesture - one that makes Betty unreasonably jealous.

She shifts in her seat and starts to focus her attention on the menu. She doesn’t know why she’s acting like she needs to read it. She and Kevin already looked it up beforehand and he picked out several items that she needed to try like the fried zucchini chips and grilled halloumi.

Jughead rests his arm against the back of her chair and he leans in when he notices that Archie and Val are sufficiently distracted with their own conversation. His mouth nearly brushes against her ear and she shivers unconsciously.

“I’m sorry.”

The words hang in the air, unanswered.

She gives him the slightest nod and turns to look up at him. She can tell from his expression that he’s genuine in his feelings but more importantly, she can feel it in her heart. It’s the strangest sensation but she knows that the words coming out of his mouth are true. She leans up and kisses him softly.

“I know. It’s okay.”

He smiles at her and gives her another soft and quick kiss on the lips. It brightens her soul.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000


	6. Reaching for you from the endless dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, friends! I'm posting this a little earlier than usual because I'm going to the hospital later today (not for anything Covid-related, just a follow up) so I wanted to make sure I updated!
> 
> Things will get a little saucy in this chapter so read the tags, you know what's up. I gotta earn that mature rating, right?
> 
> As always, a million thank you's to my darling Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for beta-ing, being a constant source of support, and for making the gorgeous aesthetic below!

__

_Caught in the riptide_  
_I was searching for the truth_  
_There was a reason_  
_I collided into you_  
_Nobody knows why_  
_Nobody knows how and_  
_This feeling begins just like a spark_  
_Tossing and turning inside of your heart_  
_Exploding in the dark_

_“Here with me” by Susie Suh and Robert Koch_

**Chapter 6: Reaching for you from the endless dream**

They end up ordering way more food than Betty’s ever seen, much less eaten, at brunch. The two tiny tables they occupy are filled with plates and plates piled high with delicious looking delights. She goes for the zucchini chips first. They’re perfectly fried and she moans a little when she pops them in her mouth.

“Oh my god.” Betty presses a hand to her mouth in surprise. “This is amazing.”

“Totally lives up the hype, right?” Val says, “I have to admit I was super skeptical the first time I came here because I was convinced it was an overpriced hipster paradise but it’s actually pretty awesome.”

“I didn’t realize zucchini could taste like this.” Betty stuffs another few chips into her mouth.

“It’s definitely still a hipster paradise though,” Jughead says as he bites into a chicken leg. It’s the first of the two entrees that he ordered. He quickly makes his way through the leg and moves onto the thigh.

She glances over at him every so often and is thoroughly impressed with the speed in which Jughead consumes his meal. She wonders if he’s even chewing at this point.

“JB’s visiting next week, right?” Archie asks.

“Yeah, she’s taking the train down on Thursday and she’ll be here for the whole weekend,” Jughead answers.

“So what are the big plans?” Val asks as she steals some potatoes off of Archie’s plate.

“Introduce her to Betty and let her rack up points on my credit card.”

Archie snorts at Jughead’s honest answer and rolls his eyes. Val smacks Archie on the chest and shakes her head gently.

“She’s an 18-year-old teenager. It’s okay if she’s a little obsessed with material things at this stage in her life.” Val defends.

Jughead shrugs. “I don’t mind spoiling her. She deserves it.”

Val recommends a few stores to Jughead. Betty nods every so often and takes a few bites of her waffle. She cuts a portion of it and slides it onto Jughead’s plate. He squeezes her knee in appreciation. She doesn’t contribute much to the conversation since shopping and retail therapy have never been her primary interests. Most of her closet is composed of Alice Cooper approved clothing and things that Kevin or Josie forced her to buy.

“So, besides shopping, what else?” Archie asks.

“I’m going to take her to MoMA,” Betty responds excitedly. “I hear from Jughead that she’s a big art fan so hopefully this is something we can bond over.”

“She’s going to love you, Betty,” Val says honestly. “Don’t even fuss about it.”

“She is.” Jughead reaffirms before he kisses her shoulder gently.

Betty nods in agreement but still can’t help the nervousness that’s built up within her. Meeting Jughead’s sister is a big deal. She’s clearly the most important person in Jughead’s life and Betty wants, desperately, to make a good impression. She and Jellybean are relatively close in age but she thinks that she’s always been an old person at heart. She hopes that they’ll be able to relate to each other and that conversation won’t be as stilted as the first time that she and Jughead met. She sighs unsurely.

Well, at least that still turned out well. Right?

She’d like to think so but it’s difficult to get a good read on Jughead. He keeps his emotions blocked off from the rest of the world the majority of the time. He’s usually very physically affectionate but she can tell that it’s hard for him to really vocalize his emotions. He has trouble communicating his feelings. It’s nothing new to her; she is the same way.

Betty rouses herself out of her thoughts. Most of everyone’s plates are empty as their meal winds down. She glances over at Jughead’s. He has a stack of zucchini chips piled up on the corner of his plate. She’s surprised. She would’ve thought that would be the first thing he would eat since he mentioned it’s a favorite. It’s definitely the first thing she devoured.

He’s saving it for last, she realizes.

“Aren’t you going to eat that?” Betty murmurs as she leans into him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Across the table, Archie and Val are in the midst of their own private conversation.

“You want some?” Jughead asks knowingly.

She steals one from his plate. “Seriously, you don’t want them?”

“You like them more than I do. Have at it.” He pushes the plate towards the center between them so that it’s easier for her to reach.

She raises an eyebrow and shoots him a confused look.

“It’s a force of habit.” He finally admits after a few moments of awkward silence. “Leftover from before.”

“Before?”

Something in his jaw ticks. Jughead turns to her and looks at her intently. He moves his body forward and takes her hand. “When I was a kid, I would always save the best for the last. I’d always keep a small portion of whatever I liked best and eat it later. When Jelly came along, it became hers. I’d always save some of what I was eating for her.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I honestly didn’t even notice that I still do it.”

She offers him a small smile. “I’m kind of good at picking up on things other people don’t notice.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, “You are.”

By the time that they’ve greedily devoured all the food, Betty feels like she’s practically exploding and makes a mental note to thank Kevin for insisting that she wear a dress today and not constricting jeans. The bill arrives and Betty makes a move to split hers and Jughead’s portion but he waves her off, gently pushing her wallet away. She huffs but eventually gives up.

This meal is expensive -- there’s no denying it. It’s a trendy restaurant in Soho so it’s bound to be pricey. Jughead makes more money than her and seems to enjoy paying for her, always insisting on it. She briefly thinks she should’ve stood her ground more but at the end of the day, her finances are more precarious than his are.

Jughead sets his Reserve credit card down on the table and moves to the back of the restaurant to search for the bathroom.

“I’m so full. I think I’m going to burst,” Betty says as she soothes her stomach, rubbing her hand over it.

“Yeah, well you know Jug and I both have big appetites,” Archie responds with a smile.

“You have an endless pit for a stomach,” Val comments wryly as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

“Hey! Blame Jug. He’s the one that always orders two entrees.” He insists.

“Yeah, he really does do that for every meal, I’ve noticed," Betty replies as she takes a sip of water. She smiles politely at the waitress when she returns with their receipts.

“Well, when you had the childhood that he had when you’re always hungry and there’s never enough food to go around the table, you can’t really blame him,” Archie says before his eyes widen as if he realized he shouldn’t have said that.

Val gives him a look and slaps him on the chest gently.

“He doesn’t really talk about his childhood with me.” Betty admits softly. She looks down and starts to fidget with her hands. “I know we had very different upbringings so I get it.”

“Betty, it’s not your fault that you had a certain type of lifestyle growing up. Just like it’s not Jughead’s fault that he had the shittiest childhood ever.” Val reassures comfortingly. “I’m sure he’ll talk to you about it at some point.”

“A lot of the way he is will make more sense, I promise you. I’m his best friend. I know he can be an asshole sometimes but it’s a defense mechanism that he’s picked up over the years,” Archie says.

“Yeah,” Betty responds quietly.

How is she supposed to talk to him about this? She feels like she’s in the deep end and she has no idea where to start. It’s a sensitive topic and she doesn’t want to offend him but she knows that she’s coming from a position of privilege. She never thought her parents were rich but they were definitely upper middle class which meant that, by many standards, they were comfortable and well-off.

Betty’s never had to worry about if there would be enough to eat growing up. She never had to restrict the amount of extracurricular activities she wanted to do because her parents could afford to send her to all of them. When she was applying to college, she never had to worry about if she could afford to go to a private school. It had all been taken care of.

She doesn’t want to create a chasm between them because of this topic but she doesn’t know what to say to him about it. It hits her then.

He’s said it point blank to her before but she doesn’t truly grasp it until this moment. This is why he works in Finance. This is why he pushes himself so hard. This is why he would rather give up sleep than for his job performance to suffer.

It all makes sense. She can’t help but crack a bit under the pressure of the shroud of guilt that hangs on her shoulders.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

That night, she rides him hard.

She practically pounces on him after he opens the door to his apartment. She kicks the door shut behind her and she’s on him. Her breath hitches in her throat as she pushes him back against the kitchen island and kisses him passionately. His hands immediately come to her hair and his tongue massages hers gently. But, she doesn’t want to be gentle tonight.

She pulls at his shirt and he lifts his arms up compliantly so she can rid him of it. She throws it somewhere behind her, not really paying attention. Between kisses, he slips the straps of her dress down and leaves a trail of them from her collarbone down to her sumptuous breasts. He takes one into his mouth, his tongue laving over her nipple.

Betty bites her lip, trying her best to contain her moans. They’re not at her place, though, she realizes. They’re at his place and he lives alone. She can be as loud as she wants. A sigh of pleasure slips from her lips. She pushes him back and moves to wrap her legs around his waist. His hands squeeze at the underside of her thighs as he moves them toward the couch. His steps are unsteady and she knows that she’s distracting him with her small kisses and bites against his skin.

She wants to leave a mark. It’s like a compulsion in her and she doesn’t want to control it.

They fall to the couch in a tumble and she giggles as he pushes the dress down her waist and legs so that it puddles on the floor. She slides her underwear off and her hands move to his belt. She bites his plump lower lip as she undoes it, yanking and pulling, and again, throwing it somewhere behind them.

“You have too much clothing on,” she says between kisses as she unbuttons his jeans.

“It’s really just my pants that I have left on.”

She ignores his smartass comment and instead focuses on running her fingernails along his chest. She smiles against his mouth when she hears him groan in delight. He lifts her up with him as he slips off his jeans and she giggles against his mouth at the sudden movement.

His hands squeeze her waist on the side, his touch rough against her smooth skin. He crushes her against him. She feels his hot breath along her neck as he places open-mouthed kisses down the delicate curve. His hand moves between her legs and he grazes against her center, never fully touching her. Her fingernails dig into his shoulder leaving small crescent shaped marks against his olive skin. She throws her head back, allowing him more access to her neck and spreads her legs a little wider.

He dips one finger and then two into her. She moans and grinds her down against his hand. Her breath escapes her in short pants and she works herself against his fingers. She’s so close.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs as he pulls her closer into him. His forehead rests against her chest. His skin feels hot against hers, burning her.

Her eyes clench shut as the pressure builds. Her mouth opens in a silent scream as she’s pushed over the edge of sensation. She feels herself go numb and she collapses against him, her head resting against his shoulder. She doesn’t know how long she stays like that, trying her best to catch her breath. When she finally does lean back, he’s smirking at her and she can’t help but roll her eyes.

“Shut up,” she says.

“I didn’t even say any-”

“Yeah, but you were going to.” She interrupts.

He doesn’t respond and instead, kisses her deeply. She’s so lost in him and she doesn’t want to pull herself back. She’s not usually like this. Sex is so different with him; it’s all so different with him. It’s better. She’s never really felt like this before.

Her hand moves down to his cock and she pumps him up and down, readying him. She moves him towards her center and then sits down so that he enters her in one swift stroke. She bites her lip at the action and moans when he thrusts up gently so that he’s fully within her. He rubs his hands up and down her back. She starts to ride him and he meets all her movements. She looks down at him and she can see him watching himself enter her repeatedly, fixated with the way he disappears inside her completely.

Her thighs start to tremble and she rocks harder and harder against him. His thumb rubs her clit and her vision starts to blur. She bites into his neck as she comes, the moan coming out gargled against his skin. He holds her tightly around the waist and pounds up into her. He throws his head back against the couch cushion when he comes and she can feel him burst inside her. She grounds down on him further as he pulses in her.

They’re both breathing harshly and she keeps her head against his neck, her breath on his chest. His scent surrounds her and she wants to drown herself in the mix of peppermint and sandalwood. It’s something that’s so distinctly Jughead and she never knew that she loved the unique mixture until now.

He smooths down her hair and she closes her eyes, relishing in the feeling of his fingertips against her scalp.

“That feels nice,” she says softly.

He continues the motion and kisses her shoulder. “I’m falling for you, Betty Cooper.”

He says it so quietly that she’s sure she wouldn’t have heard him unless she’s this close to him. She pushes herself back and sits up, her eyes wide.

She probably looks like a deer in the headlights and she knows that panic is not the right response for those wonderful words. She wants to respond and say that she is obviously falling for him too. It’s the truth because she is. But, the syllables seem to die on the tip of her tongue and she’s silent instead.

He stares at her intently and she feels something grow in the pit of her stomach with every second that she’s unresponsive. Finally, she cradles his cheek in her palm. She kisses him gently.

“I can’t say it yet but I want to.” It’s the most honest thing that she can offer him right now. “I just need you to be patient with me, okay?” Her voice trembles slightly and she feels so exposed. It makes her uneasy.

“I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

She looks up at him and she can’t help the surprise that colors her face.

“You’re my soulmate, Betty.” He caresses her lightly and every brush of his skin against hers seems to burn into her. “Time is irrelevant when it comes to you.”

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Jughead’s high rise apartment is probably one of the most ridiculous places that she’s ever been in and she has a hard time believing that her boyfriend slash soulmate lives somewhere like this. There’s floor to ceiling windows which may seem glamorous but when it’s too early on a Sunday and she just wants to avoid sunlight, it’s just annoying.

She moves her hand over the sensor and the shades come down halfway. She breathes a sigh of relief and pours herself a glass of fresh orange juice. She moves to the window and stares out at the view of the water. The Hudson seems calm today.

She doesn’t know how long she’d been standing at the window when Jughead comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her midsection. Her juice is long gone and consumed and the sun hangs a little higher up in the sky. He kisses her on the neck.

“How’d you sleep?”

“Good,” she responds. “I always sleep better when I’m with you.” She caresses his forearm.

“Me too.”

He leans his chin on her shoulder. They’re both quiet for a few more minutes until her tinkling voice breaks the silence.

“Can you make pancakes?”

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I can't say it yet but I want to" - I stole this from myself from another fic that I wrote in the TATBILB fandom. It was just perfectly fitting for this chapter so I couldn’t help myself.


	7. When it’s cold, I will lay with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, all! Hope you enjoy this extra long chapter!!
> 
> Thank you, as always, to my number one love, Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for beta-ing and being the most wonderful person ever. 
> 
> [The Worth It episode referenced](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6XiFKB7j0w)  
> [Monet’s Water Lilies panel](https://www.moma.org/calendar/galleries/5110)  
> [Dali’s Persistence of Memory](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79018)  
> [In and Around Harlem](https://www.moma.org/calendar/galleries/5116)  
> [Lawrence’s In the North the Negro had better educational facilities](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78548?sov_referrer=theme&theme_id=5116&effective_date=2020-07-20)

_Cause sometimes you just know_  
_Sometimes you just go_  
_When it’s right, it’s right_  
_Are we a star? Are we a satellite?_  
_I could love you if you let me_  
_But love, you’ve got to let me_

_“Satellite” by Sara Hartman_

**Chapter 7: When it’s cold, I will lay with you**

As always, MoMA is surprisingly crowded for a Friday afternoon. Betty wades her way through the packed lobby, glaring every so often at the groups of people that move extra slow or simply stand in everyone’s way. How are all these people here? They couldn’t have all taken a half day off work like she did.

She looks at her phone, re-reading Jughead’s text of where he and Jellybean are. Standing on her tip-toes, she spots Jughead first. He towers over most of the people around him. He looks annoyed that it’s crowded as well. The laughter bubbles up inside her as she approaches them.

“You look so grumpy right now,” she comments.

Jellybean rolls her eyes and wraps her arms around Betty, giving her a tight hug. “He’s been like this all day,” she complains. “He hates being a tour guide.”

“I don’t like crowds,” he says matter-of-factly.

“Then why do you live in one of the most populous cities on Earth?” Jellybean retorts.

Jughead says something to further argue his point and Betty tunes them both out as she intertwines her hand through his, leading them towards the galleries.

They’ve been fake-arguing like this non-stop for the last 24 hours, ever since Jellybean hopped off the train. Jughead had picked her up at Penn Station mid-afternoon and Betty had joined them for dinner that evening.

They ended up at a trendy restaurant that specializes in noodles and buns but Jellybean insisted that they get the fried chicken because she watched an episode of Buzzfeed’s Worth It that focused on the dish.

“So you want me to spend a ridiculous amount of money on fried chicken because some random dude on Youtube told you to?” Jughead had asked as he stared at the menu.

“They cut the fried chicken like it’s Peking duck, Jug!” Jellybean exclaimed.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?”

Jellybean had rolled her eyes at his response. Of course, they ordered it along with several noodle dishes that Jughead wanted.

“We can’t come to a noodle place and not order noodles. It’s in the name of the restaurant.”

Neither Jellybean nor Betty argued with him because he did have a point. As skeptical as Betty was, it was honestly one of the best meals she’s ever had.

They take the escalator to the 5th floor and start to wander the galleries. Jellybean sticks closely to Betty and they start to talk about her studies. Vassar students don’t have to declare their majors until the second semester of sophomore year so Jellybean still has plenty of time to decide what she wants to study.

“I think I might want to do studio art or sociology. Or maybe art history? History? Ugh, I can’t decide.” Jellybean lists off. “The classes are unreal though. I’m taking _Art and Social Change_ right now and it’s just fascinating. There’s so much that they left out of our history books growing up.”

“I took a _Literary Criticism and Politics_ course my junior year and it completely blew my mind. It really makes you reevaluate everything you learned in grade school.”

They both pause in front of a large panel painting of water lilies. It spans the space of the entire room. Jellybean moves closer to examine the fine paint strokes, taking in the varying gradients of purples and blues of the flower petals.

“I didn’t realize Monet was considered modern art,” Jughead says as he comes up behind Betty. He wraps his arm around her waist.

Betty leans back into him and continues to look forward at the painting. “MoMA was actually the first museum in the US to acquire one of these large-scale panels that Monet did. He painted over 40 of them.”

“Talk about obsessive.”

“One could say he was passionate.” She’s contemplative for a moment. “This was considered very modern for the time.”

He places a soft kiss against her hair and lets out a heavy sigh.

“What’s wrong?” She asks.

“I have to head into work for about an hour to take care of something that just came up. Bit of an emergency apparently.” He looks displeased.

“Banking emergency?” She quirks an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately yes. Are you going to be okay for a while? I can meet up with you guys afterwards.”

Betty glances at Jellybean and smiles. “Yeah, we’ll be just fine. You should let her know though.”

“She’s going to give me so much crap. She’s always on my ass about being a workaholic.”

“Well, you are-”

He holds a finger to her lips. “I don’t need your sass, Elizabeth.”

She kisses his finger and giggles when he retaliates by kissing her hard on the lips. She watches as Jughead approaches Jellybean who only rolls her eyes at the unsurprising news and gives him a hug in response. Betty rejoins Jellybean and they move through the next few galleries.

Betty pulls her towards a particular painting and when Jellybean notices which one it is, she gasps.

“It’s so much smaller than I imagined it to be.” She leans forward, her lilac-tinted dark brown hair falling into her face. “It’s so polished. Much more than I would’ve expected.”

Betty murmurs her agreement and smiles as Jellybean moves from one side of the painting to the other, trying to view it from every angle.

“It’s very flat,” Betty says.

“It really is. I also can’t get over the size. I always imagined it would be this giant landscape.”

“Nope, just a small insight into Dali’s hallucinations.”

Jellybean points at the melting clock in the foreground. “This is how I feel most days.”

She and Jellybean continue to move around the galleries. Vaguely, she notices that her tattoo reads 4 miles south. She smiles. He must be back in the office. She feels bad that he can’t ever seem to take a day off for himself.

She’s distracted as she leads Jellybean down the escalator and towards her favorite gallery in the whole museum: In and Around Harlem. A tour group led by a young museum docent enters the gallery and both Jellybean and Betty listen in on the talk. Jacob Lawrence’s series about the Great Migration is the centerpiece of the entire gallery space, spanning 30 paintings that feature the African-American experience in the United States at that pivotal moment in history.

“I love the colors,” Jellybean says as she points to a painting of three students in the classroom, writing on a chalkboard.

“This is only half of the series. The other half is in DC at the Phillips Collection.”

“So we clearly need to take a road trip there.”

Betty can’t help but be surprised at this suggestion. She’s known Jellybean for less than a day and she’s already proposing that they make travel plans together. There’s a warmth about her that’s so enveloping and welcoming. She’s so different from Jughead in so many ways and Betty still doesn’t understand how they had the same childhood experiences but could turn out so differently.

They meander through another few galleries and by the time they finally make their way to the 2nd floor to watch the performance art piece, Betty’s feet are throbbing. She checks her phone and doesn’t see a message from Jughead so she texts him, letting him know that they’re wrapping up and are grabbing a coffee in the cafe.

They walk down the steps and Betty leads her to the outdoor cafe. She buys them both lattes and rejoins Jellybean who is sitting in the sun, leaning her head back to bask in the rays. Betty hands her a cup.

“So did it live up to expectations?” Betty asks.

“Definitely surpassed them,” Jellybean says. “I still can’t wrap my mind around the collection. It’s one thing when you study it in a textbook but a completely different experience when you get to see the artwork in person.”

“Well, you grew up in Chicago, right? The Art Institute is supposed to be amazing. I didn’t get a chance to go when I was there, unfortunately.”

Jellybean takes a slow sip of her coffee and clears her throat. “It was really hard to make it there, honestly. We didn’t really ever get a chance to partake in that until a little later on.”

“Right,” Betty responds awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“Betty, you don’t need to apologize. It’s fine. We were poor, like dirt poor. So poor that my favorite meal growing up was peanut butter and saltine crackers. It sucked but that’s not our life anymore. It’s just a part of our past now.”

Betty fiddles with the cup sleeve and starts to peel the paper from the adhesive. “I really don’t know what to say except I’m sorry. It must’ve been awful.”

“It wasn’t all bad,” Jellybean says with a shrug. “At least Jug and I had each other but he really protected me from a lot of it. He’s the older brother so he got the brunt of most of the shittiness. I think he wishes that he could’ve shielded me from all of it but it just wasn’t possible.” She sighs and takes another sip of her coffee. “It’s why he always takes on too much. He doesn’t understand the definition of letting go and relaxing.”

“I don’t think he knows how to turn it off.”

Jellybean slaps a hand down on the chair arm. “Yes, exactly! It’s always one extreme of the spectrum with him. He needs to find a middle ground.” She cocks her head to the side, expression thoughtful. “Maybe that’s what you’re supposed to do as his soulmate?”

“What? Calm him down. Ha!” Betty barks out a laugh. “You know your brother. Do you really think that’s possible?”

“I suppose you’re right. I can’t imagine any universe where he doesn’t put the burden of the world on himself.”

Betty traces the outline of the 4 on her wrist and stares out at the flowing water of the fountain in front of them. “Tell me a happy memory.”

“One 4th of July, I think I was 8 at the time, Jug splurged on Oscar Mayer hot dogs, not the store brand. He made a fire and we grilled hotdogs over it while watching the fireworks in the background. I don’t even think he bought buns. I think we just ate them straight.” A wistful smile graces Jellybean’s delicate features. “It was the best holiday.”

“That sounds amazing,” Betty says ardently.

Jellybean snorts. “I’m sure my dad came home later that night drunk and ruined it all.”

“Has he kept in touch?”

“He hasn’t reached out at all, thank God. I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if he just showed up one day demanding money because he got himself wrapped up in something dangerous and stupid. Classic Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Second.”

“Oh my god, is that Jughead’s real name?”

Jellybean raises an eyebrow. “He hasn’t revealed this dark part of his past yet to you?” When Betty shakes her head no, she snorts again. “Oh Jug. He’s going to be pissed that I told you but I don’t really care.”

“I’m sure he’ll get over it.” Betty smiles and reaches over to give Jellybean’s arm a squeeze. “I think the best thing that your Dad can do for you both now is to just stay away.”

“Agreed. Though honestly, he was never really a dad to me. Jughead raised me, not him.” She finishes the last of her coffee and tosses it into a trashcan next to her.

In a 20 minute conversation, Betty realizes that she’s learned more about Jughead's past from Jellybean than he's ever divulged himself. A part of her feels guilty for now knowing this precious information; like she wishes that Jughead is the one that told her and she didn’t glean it from his sister.

She feels a buzz in her pocket. “Oh, I think he’s wrapping up. Want to go to the High Line? It’s like Insta-paradise.”

“I feel like I should be offended that you think that I would sink to the levels of an Instagram influencer but let’s be honest, I really want to make Jug take a bunch of obnoxious pictures of me.”

“I would expect no less.”

Jellybean links her arm through Betty’s and they head towards the subway.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

At the High Line, Betty stands in the queue at the ice cream vendor and debates if she wants to get maple butter walnut or salted caramel cookies ice cream. Jughead and Jellybean are a bit of a distance away as Jellybean insisted on modeling for some pictures next to the glass view of the street. Betty decides on getting both flavors, calories be damned, and juggles the cones as she walks back towards the siblings.

As she approaches, she thinks she hears Jellybean yell out, “tell her. You are so infuriating. You can’t keep this from-” but Jughead hushes her with a glare. Betty hands the cones out and gives Jughead a curious look. She tries to read him but his face is an impassive facade and she knows that he’s set his mind to being stoic for now.

“Mint chip and butter cream, as requested,” she says to Jughead. “And coconut almond chip and strawberry for you,” she says to Jellybean.

There’s an awkward silence that hangs in the air and Betty’s sure she just interrupted some sort of spat. It’s uncomfortable and in classic Cooper fashion, she breaks the silence.

“Did you get the pictures you wanted, Jellybean?”

Jughead seems to be focusing all his attention on eating his ice cream. Jellybean hedges a glance at him before she rolls her eyes.

“Yes, I did. Let’s keep walking?”

Before either of them could answer, Jellybean turns on her heel and appears to be storming off. Betty shoots Jughead a questioning glance and he just gives her a look like ‘don’t ask’. She sighs and trails after them.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

That night, they file into the Jellybean selected restaurant: a trendy Southeast Asian eatery in the Lower East Side. Jughead peruses the menu and insists on ordering more small plates than Betty thinks will fit on the table.

“Jug, you don’t think it’s too much?”

“It says ‘small plates’ on the menu, Betts. If it’s small, I’m going to need to order a lot to make up for the size.”

She wants to argue with his reasoning but decides against it. It’s clearly an uphill battle. When the dishes start to arrive, Betty grabs a portion of the papaya salad and the red curry beef.

It feels like a flavor explosion in her mouth and she hums a soft sound of approval for the meal.

“So what are your thoughts on Madrid, Betty?” Jellybean suddenly asks.

Across the table, she can see Jughead sending a poisonous glare at his sister and she thinks she hears some rustling under the table.

Jellybean reaches down to where her foot is, as if massaging it, and clears her throat. “I’m thinking of studying abroad there,” she amends.

“I’ve never been but it’s supposed to be wonderful. Do you speak Spanish?”

“Nope,” Jellybean responds with a smile, popping the p. “It is a great city though, I’ve heard -- very cosmopolitan. What do you think, Jug?” She emphasizes his nickname and sends a glare right back.

There’s something very strange happening and Betty’s utterly confused. The siblings continue to scowl at one another and Betty feels obligated to try to lessen the tension.

“Well, think of all the tapas and sangria you could have.”

“She’s not legally allowed to drink alcohol yet,” Jughead comments.

“She’ll be in Europe. The drinking age is 18 there,” Betty corrects.

“Yeah, Jug. The drinking age is 18 there,” Jellybean says as she crosses her arms in front of her.

Somehow, Betty thinks she may have made the situation even worse. She stuffs some pad see ew into her mouth and focuses on chewing for now.

The conversation moves onto life in Poughkeepsie and Jellybean happily claps her hands together at one point.

“Oh, I meant to tell you! I got a job at the art gallery.”

“What?” Jughead asks. “Why?”

“What do you mean, why?” She retorts and Betty thinks that she sounds exactly like her brother right now. “I wanted some work experience and the arts center is a great resource. It’ll build my resume.”

“I don’t want you to distract yourself from your studies. Do you need money? I can give you more money.”

Jellybean rolls her eyes. “Not everything is about money, Jug.”

“Then why are you working when you should be studying?”

“I feel like I just said a bunch of words and you didn’t hear a single one of them.”

“I don’t want you to work. I want you to focus on your academics. That should come first.”

“Well, that’s not up to you, is it? I’m keeping the job, Jug. I’m excited about it so can you just be happy for me?”

They continue to argue and Betty sinks further down into her seat, trying her best to focus on the food in front of her.

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty yawns as she moves further back on the bed so she’s completely enveloped by pillows. She doesn’t know where Jughead’s bedding is from but she’s assuming somewhere expensive because it’s absolutely luxurious. The pillows are always perfectly fluffy.

She scrolls through a few news articles, her hair arranged atop her head in a messy bun. Vaguely, she hears Jellybean and Jughead talking in the living room where Jellybean is camping out on the couch for the weekend. They seem to still be arguing about something but she’s given up trying to figure out exactly what about.

They seem to argue a lot. This is the main takeaway.

Jughead enters the bedroom a few minutes later with a sigh. Betty doesn’t look up from her phone.

When she hears him approach the bed, she says, “Did you know that if you have a low pain tolerance, you may be part Neanderthal?”

“That’s great,” he murmurs, clearly not hearing a word she just said. He flops onto the bed and rubs his temples. “I forgot how exhausting she can be.”

“She really doesn’t let you get away with much, does she?”

“Yeah, she keeps me on my toes.” He crawls up the bed so he can cuddle up next to her. He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her in closer, kissing her hair. “Did you guys have a nice afternoon?”

“It was good,” she replies cautiously. She traces her fingertips over his forearm and moves further into his back. “She told me a bit about your lives growing up.”

She can feel him stiffen behind her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“Jellybean’s resilient. She can always find a way to bounce back from it all.” He pauses for a moment before he admits, “I have a harder time doing that. I don’t know why. She’s always been better at it than me.”

“It sounds like you had to go through a lot more, that you protected her from a lot of it.”

“That’s kind of my job as an older brother, don’t you think?”

“It shouldn’t be a job at all. You just shouldn’t have to go through it,” she responds adamantly.

Jughead smiles against her neck and kisses the nape softly. “Ever the optimist.”

“It’s not optimism, Juggie. I’m serious.” She turns to face him and looks into his eyes. She can see the emotion bubbling up behind his cool exterior.

“I know.”

Betty’s quiet for a few moments as she continues watching the expressions flit across his face. She brushes a strand of hair out of his eyes.

“Why don’t you ever talk about it?”

He’s uncomfortable. She can tell immediately. He sighs and turns to move off the bed and she tries not to feel like he’s rejecting her. This isn’t about her -- it’s about him. She fiddles with her t-shirt and looks down.

“Sometimes it helps to talk about it.”

“I know,” he responds quietly, letting out another heavy sigh. He looks out the window, staring at a fixed point in the night sky.

She bites her lip and stays silent, waiting for him to continue. He’s standing a few feet away from her and she chances looking up at him. She can see how conflicted he is.

After a few quiet minutes, she finally says, “I just want to be here for you.”

In an instant, he’s in front of her and he holds her hands in his. “I know.” He flips her wrist around and kisses the soulmark softly. Tingles shoot up her spine at the gesture.

“I know you do,” he repeats. He removes his hands and takes a step back, both figuratively and literally. “I just don’t like talking about it. Sometimes it feels like I’m reliving it.”

She just nods and gives him what she hopes is a comforting smile.

“I used to have nightmares all the time. They would happen to me practically every night at first but over the last few years, it’s gotten better.” He sits on the bed next to her, his shoulders slumped. “It’s gotten better when I’m with you,” he divulges.

She gently places a hand on his knee. He leans into the touch.

“I don’t think I ever really knew what it felt like to be a carefree kid where my only responsibilities were recess and naptime. I think I had to grow up the moment my mom abandoned us and I became Jellybean’s parental figure. I wouldn’t change any of it,” he says quietly. “But sometimes I just wonder what it would’ve been like if she never left or if my father never got involved in a gang or ended up in jail. Would everything be different?”

He’s not looking for an answer so she doesn’t give him one. She just continues to run her hands up and down his back, her head leaning against his shoulder.

“I think I’ve finally stopped hating them,” he confesses. “It’s exhausting, carrying that type of weight around. I’m done with it.”

She sits back up and looks at him seriously. “They never deserved a son like you. Jellybean is so lucky that she had you there to shield her from everything.”

He leans into her again and settles into her embrace. He doesn’t say anything after that and neither does she.

Eventually, he moves into the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. She stares at his retreating form and she wonders if she should’ve done more and said more so he would reveal more of himself. She doesn’t know how to do this. She wishes there was some sort of relationship manual that she could read that actually explains it all with step-by-step instructions.

She just wants to erase his past from his mind so he isn’t tormented by it. But that’s impossible, she knows.

She needs to be patient with him just like how she asked him to be with her.

She can’t force this. She can’t force trust. She can’t force him to heal. This was a small step in the right direction. She’d have to be happy with that for now.

She looks back down at her soulmark and it glows back at her. She rubs at it and falls back against the pillows, trying her best to ease her mind and fall asleep.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000


	8. How many questions can two hearts hold?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this week has certainly been eventful. TGIF, amirite? Enjoy :) In case it's not clear, this chapter spans the length of about 3 weeks. 
> 
> The play that Jughead and Betty attend at the end is [Sleep No More](https://mckittrickhotel.com/sleep-no-more/)
> 
> _Nothing will come of nothing_ \- Act 1, Scene 1 from _King Lear_ , Lear to Cordelia
> 
> _I love you more than words can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space and liberty_ \- Act 1, Scene 1 from _King Lear_ , Goneril to Lear
> 
> Thanks Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for reading this over and being the best friend/beta ever!

_The expression of your eyes is so beautiful, it stops my heart_  
_Your gentleness is so close to me, it stops my heart_  
_Can't we turn time back to the start, just for a second?_

_“Heartbeat” by Leehom Wang_

**Chapter 8: How many questions can two hearts hold?**

Betty often gets distracted by her soulmark.

Sometimes in the middle of the day, while she’s at work, she’ll glance down at it and take comfort in the number and direction. It fluctuates anywhere between two to five miles most of the time. She rubs it when she’s stressed or absentmindedly thinking. It makes her feel like she’s always connected to Jughead in a small way.

She wonders if he ever pays attention to it at all. Probably not, knowing him. She can’t imagine him doing something that sentimental at work where he has to be guarded and prudent all the time.

The brightness of her computer screen is giving her a headache. Her head has been pounding for the last hour without any respite. She massages her temple, elbows on her desk, and shuts her eyes, trying to filter out the light.

“Betty, are you alright?”

She jolts at the sound of her boss’s voice and Betty immediately drops her arms. “I’m fine,” she says quickly, forcing a smile.

“You don’t look fine,” Zoe responds with a frown. She drops the files she’s holding onto Betty’s desk. “You look really pale. Go home and stop looking at the computer.”

“I can bring my laptop home and work from th-”

“Absolutely not,” Zoe retorts. “If you bring your laptop home, I will assume that you are stealing it and will need to file an injunction.” She offers her a small smile. “This work will still be here tomorrow, Betty. Go home and get some rest.”

Betty gives her a grateful look and nods. She gathers her things and decides to hop into an Uber instead of dealing with the subway. As she gets into the car, her head continues to pound and she puts pressure on her temple, trying her best to even her breathing.

She arrives back to her apartment in record time and lets out a relieved sigh when she finally walks through the front door. Vaguely, she hears her phone buzzing in her purse but she ignores the sound. She can’t look at a screen right now. She shuts her door gently behind her with a click and drops her purse to the floor, stripping as she walks towards the bed. Clad only in her underwear and a tank top, she gets under the covers and shuts her eyes, immediately falling asleep.

When she wakes up, several hours later, she smells Jughead’s familiar cologne. She turns on her side and blinks slowly.

Jughead is sitting on her bed, still dressed in black slacks and a lavender button down shirt, laptop resting on his legs.

“You’re awake,” he murmurs. He sets his laptop on the nightstand and then immediately pulls her in close, gently pushing the hair out of her face. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” she replies. “What time is it? Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

He smiles at her, continuing to caress her hair. “One question at a time.” He places a kiss on her forehead. “It’s a little past 3pm so you’ve been sleeping for a few hours now. I’m here because I saw you weren’t at work and got worried when you weren’t answering my texts so I called Kevin and borrowed his keys so I could break into your apartment. And I’m still working.” He nods towards his laptop. “I’m just doing it from here.”

Jughead sits up on the bed and rubs his thumb over the apple of her cheek. “Do you want some soup?”

“Did you cook?”

He snorts. “Of course not. I bought some soup for you. It’s in the fridge. I can heat it up for you, if you want?”

“That sounds nice.” She pulls the covers a little further up so it covers her whole body. “Thanks for breaking in, Juggie.”

He simply smiles at her and pats the covers. “I’ll be right back.”

Betty hears him moving around in the kitchen and grabs her phone, seeing that there were in fact, several text messages and missed calls from both Jughead and Kevin. She flips her phone over and sets it back on the table. It still hurts to look at the bright screen. She leans back against the pillows and shuts her eyes.

It’s only then does Jughead’s words truly hit her. _I saw you weren’t at work._ She can’t help but smile at the thought -- he does pay attention to his soulmark.

The smell of soup gets her attention and she throws open the covers. She pulls on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt before padding out into the kitchen.

“I was going to bring this to you in bed,” Jughead says as he ladles some soup into a bowl.

Betty sits on the stool and gives him a thankful look when he sets the steaming soup in front of her. “I’m feeling better, I promise,” she says between sips. “This is perfect, thank you.”

Jughead joins her at the table with a sandwich. They both eat in silence.

“I’m sorry if I disrupted your work, Jug.” She finishes about half the bowl before her stomach protests that it’s too much.

“You’re more important than work,” he responds, the honesty clear in his voice.

“I thought nothing was more important than work,” she teases with a small smile. Drowsily, she leans her head against his shoulder.

His hand comes up to push the hair out of her face and he gives her a small kiss. She thinks she hears him say something against her hair but she finds herself falling back asleep again before she can really decipher the words.

When she reawakes later, it’s dark outside. She’s alone in the bedroom and she pats the rumpled covers next to her. It feels cool to the touch.

She can hear low voices outside her room so she gets up and walks out. Jughead and Kevin are sitting on the couch, watching what sounds like a Disney film. She steps into the living room and plops down on Jughead’s lap, amusement dancing in her eyes when she hears _A Whole New World_ coming through the speakers.

“Jughead shared his login information so now we officially have Disney Plus,” Kevin says with a smile. He taps Betty’s outstretched foot. “Are you feeling better? You gave us a bit of a scare this afternoon.”

She snuggles a little further into Jughead, wrapping her arm around his neck. “I was totally fine. I just had a headache and wanted to get some rest.”

“Is that why you were unresponsive and completely dead to the world? I have to say though, I don’t think I will complain about an attractive gentleman running into my place of work, demanding to see me. Your little stunt made me quite popular today, Jones.” Kevin winks at him.

Jughead remains stoic, watching the TV screen carefully. He rubs Betty’s back comfortingly. “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he says to her.

She smiles at him and rests her head on her shoulder while she sings along softly to the musical.

_Let me share this whole new world with you._

000000000000000000000000000000000

The purple light that illuminates the stage hits Josie’s face at the perfect angle. She looks like she’s glowing and Betty can’t help but marvel at just how gorgeous her best friend is.

It’s open mic night at Josie’s favorite bar and even though Betty never sings, she usually tags along because it’s always fun to watch Josie perform. The bar is crowded even though it’s a Thursday night. Reggie sits next to her, cheering loudly as Josie finishes performing. Betty claps along with him and gives her a hug as she sits back down.

Archie and Val are up next and they perform a sappy love song. When they start to stare into each other’s eyes while singing, Reggie heckles them and Betty can’t help but snort. Josie slaps him in the chest and he immediately backs down. Betty lifts her phone up and records a brief snippet, sending it to Jughead. When the lovebirds return, everybody congratulates them with hoots and hollers. Betty watches as Fangs runs up on stage and starts to perform. Kevin, who is sitting next to her, sways back and forth to the song, softly singing along.

She’s the seventh wheel -- the only person that is not there with their significant other. Jughead had been invited, of course, but per usual, he’s busy with work and is probably still at the office. She checks her phone. It’s close to 9:30pm and he’s not here. She knows it’s stupid to hope that he would decide to show up and tries not to feel disappointed but she still is.

He hasn’t looked at the video yet. _Unread._

Josie nudges her on the shoulder and Betty immediately puts down her phone. She glances at Josie guiltily.

“Is tonight the night? Are you finally going to get up there and perform?” Josie questions.

“Absolutely not. You know how I feel about performing in front of crowds.”

“You’d kill it though, Betty-boop.” She gestures towards the group. “Plus you have so many adoring fans here that would love to see you on that stage.”

“Yeah, B. You have an amazing voice,” Kevin encourages. “Don’t think I don’t hear you singing in the shower.”

“That feels like a violation of my privacy,” Betty retorts.

“It’s not my fault that you sing loudly while bathing.”

Betty rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. That second beer was a mistake. She feels strangely warm and uncharacteristically confident. She slaps her palm against the table.

“Okay, I’m doing it!”

The whole table cheers and she flushes as Josie leads her to the stage. Her best friend helps her pick out a song and once Josie inputs the song into the machine, she kisses Betty on the cheek, wishes her good luck, and flounces off the platform.

The stage is so bright. There’s a spotlight aimed directly at her face and Betty blinks a few times, the nerves suddenly hitting her. She hears the starting chords ring out and she only has a few seconds before she’s at her cue.

Her attention falls on her table of friends and they’re all clapping loudly and cheering for her. She nervously smiles and waves at them. Her green eyes scan the crowd and land on a familiar tall figure that just entered through the doors.

The smile on Jughead’s face is so bright and infectious. Suddenly, she’s not anxious at all. She stares into his eyes and starts to sing.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty’s only slightly annoyed that she found out a week ago from Archie that it’s Jughead’s birthday this Friday. She thanks her excellent planning skills that she’s managed to throw something wonderful together for him at the last minute. Archie had specifically told her that Jughead hated parties so she decided not to go that route.

Instead on Friday night, Betty knocks on Jughead’s door, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. She forces him to leave work at a normal hour today, refusing to let anything interfere with her master plans. The door swings open and the first thing she notices is that the dark circles under his eyes seem more prominent.

Something’s been bothering him, she knows it.

She falters for a moment. This catches her off guard. Recovering, she forces out a smile and says sweetly, “Happy Birthday, my darling soulmate!”

She’s holding a pastry box and he leans in to kiss her forehead.

“Thank you,” he replies.

“I have cupcakes! I bought a half dozen because I know you.” She sets the box on the counter and starts to list off all the different flavors. When she’s done, she looks up at him expectantly with a bright smile. He doesn’t appear to have heard anything that she’s been saying for the last few minutes.

“Which one do you want?” She asks, pushing the box towards him.

“I’ll try the mint chocolate chip one.”

“Excellent choice.” She moves around his kitchen comfortably, already familiar with it. She grabs a knife and two small plates. As she cuts the cupcake in half, handing him the larger portion, she glances at him curiously. “Are you okay?”

He looks up, startled from his thoughts. “I’m fine,” he says automatically. He gives her a tight smile when she hands him a plate and immediately takes a bite and compliments it.

She takes a delicate bite and lifts up the knife. “What flavor next?”

Jughead points at a cupcake with light orange frosting and sprinkles on top. She nods and starts to cut it, handing him half again.

“I think this may be my favorite so far,” she murmurs between bites. “I really like mixing fruit with chocolate.”

He looks lost in his thoughts again and she leans forward, gently touching his forearm. “Jug, are you okay? You seem like you’re somewhere else.”

“I’m here,” he responds, gaze flitting back to her. He offers her a small smile and adds afterwards. “With you.”

“Are you excited for this evening?” She asks as she claps her hands together enthusiastically, hoping to distract him.

“I am cautiously excited, yes. Are you going to at least give me a hint?”

“Absolutely not. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“I hate surprises.”

“You’ll like this one, I promise,” she reassures. She hands him a chocolate cupcake, his preferred flavor, and puts the rest of the cupcakes in the fridge. He still looks apprehensive and she rolls her eyes at him. “Can you please trust me?”

“Okay,” he says simply, biting into the dessert. It’s sumptuous and rich. “This one is definitely my favorite.”

“You’re getting to be predictable, Jones,” she teases.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Out of all the restaurants in the city, they end up at a no-frills 24-hour diner. This is certainly not where he expected to celebrate his 26th birthday but it’s perfect. It’s exactly what he would’ve picked for himself and it proved that Betty really did know him well and understood him.

It only serves to make him feel guiltier.

They leave the diner. Betty loops her arm through his as they walk towards their next destination which is by the water. They approach the pier and she leans her forearms on the railing, resting her head gently against them.

“It’s so beautiful,” she says softly, watching the buildings light up the night sky.

He moves to stand behind her and wraps his whole body around hers, placing his head on her shoulder. “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re so cheesy, you know that right?” She says as she leans back further into his warmth.

“It’s not cheesy if it’s true,” he insists.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

The hotel is a throwback to generations past.

It’s lushly decorated with shades of black and red and as they step through the doors, Betty understands what it truly means to be in an immersive experience. When Kevin first told her about this, she was very apprehensive. After all, _Macbeth_ is a tragedy and as such, is incredibly depressing and gruesome. Why would she ever want to put herself in the middle of it?

She laces her fingers through Jughead’s as they walk from room to room, watching the actors in fascination.

“ _Macbeth_ is my favorite Shakespeare drama,” he admits as they wind into the next space of the choose-your-own-adventure.

“I did not know that but I made an educated guess.” She flushes with pride. “My favorite Shakespeare play is _Twelfth Night_. I don’t like his dramas as much but if I had to pick one, it would be _King Lear_.”

“Nothing will come of nothing,” he recites.

She turns to him in surprise. She’s not sure why she’s so astounded. He’s well read, she’s always known that. “Cordelia was always my favorite sister. She didn’t deserve her tragic ending.”

“I think Lear is a perfect definition of a megalomaniac. His own downfall comes from his hubris.”

“Isn’t that true for Macbeth as well?”

“I think it’s true of a lot of Shakespeare’s male leads.”

She nods her agreement and they continue to discuss Shakespeare as they travel from one room to the next. By the time that they’ve finished, her feet are throbbing and she’s so grateful to Kevin who advised her to wear comfortable shoes.

They exit the theatre and Betty starts to walk toward the subway when Jughead stops her movements and pulls her back into his arms. She stumbles a bit before she collides into him with an oomph.

“Thank you for tonight, Betty,” he says softly, brushing the hair out of her face.

She smiles up at him. “Happy birthday,” she says again.

He hugs her tightly and starts to sway their bodies to a song that neither can hear. “I love you more than words can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space and liberty,” he quotes, speaking into her ear.

Betty leans back and shakes her head. “You know Goneril was lying when she said that, right? It was all flattery.”

He looks at her, amused, that she seems to have missed the point entirely.

000000000000000000000000000000000


	9. Promise not to promise anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s hereeeeeeee! This is the chapter where everything finally starts to get revealed. The last part of the chapter was one of the first things I wrote so I’m excited to finally share with you all. 
> 
> As always, thank you to Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for beta-ing!
> 
> Chapter title comes from Ingrid Michaelson's "The Chain".

_There's a corner of your heart just for me_  
_I will pack my bags just to stay in the corner of your heart_

_“Corner of your heart” by Ingrid Michaelson_

**Chapter 9: Promise not to promise anymore**

Betty wakes up to the sound of smooth jazz. It’s slightly disconcerting because she doesn’t listen to that genre and her muddled brain wonders who is playing it.

She blinks a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light shining in through the windows. She rolls over in Jughead’s plush bed to see him watching her with soft eyes. He runs a hand down from her bare shoulder to her arm.

“Did I wake you?” He asks. “I put on some music because the construction outside was getting a little loud. I thought this would be a more pleasant sound to wake up to.”

She leans up and kisses him against the lips. “You didn’t and the music is wonderful. Very thoughtful of you.”

She goes to pull away but he doesn’t let her, instead his arms go around her and he pulls her half naked body onto his, her breasts pressed up against his bare chest. She giggles at the action and squirms against him.

“Why, Mr. Jones, are you trying to seduce me?” She asks teasingly, her voice light as she wraps her arms around his neck, a wide smile on her face.

“Always, Ms. Cooper. Is it working?” He asks against her lips. He pushes his hips up against her and she moans at the sudden contact.

“Maybe.”

She latches onto his neck, sucking and biting at it, no doubt leaving a mark. Her tongue laves over his pulse point and she smiles when a shiver goes through him at the movement. His hands come to her waist, squeezing tightly, and he continues to thrust up into her, relishing in the sensation of her hips moving against his. His breath comes out in hot pants and she knows he’s just as turned on as she is. His fingers trail the length of her torso, leaving light touches.

He pulls back a bit and brushes a strand of blonde hair out of her face, wanting to just admire her beauty. Her lips are pink and slightly swollen from their kisses and a surge of desire and possession flows within him.

She’s his soulmate. He’s hers. There will always be this unspoken bond between them because of it. He is tied to her, like she is to him.

He rolls her over. She lays beneath him, breathing heavy, her bare legs entwined in the messy sheets that they’ve pushed to the edge of the bed. He smirks at her as he lowers his body between her legs, one destination in mind. Her stomach flutters as he places small kisses against her soft skin. The kisses move progressively lower and lower and then he’s kissing the most sensitive part of her.

Her toes curl and she inadvertently kicks one foot out as he continues to kiss her through the fabric of her underwear.

“Juggie,” she moans.

He knows exactly what she wants and needs. Slipping her underwear off and down her legs, he presses his mouth directly against her center, his tongue coming out to flick at her clit. Her hands go into his hair and she pulls at it lightly as she spreads her legs wider wantonly. His mouth moves lower and he pushes his tongue into her, nose nudging against her clit. He’s completely enveloped in her taste, like sweet nectarines. His hands grip her thighs and she loves the pressure against them. She grinds into his face, her hands completely messing up his hair at this point. Her legs shake as she comes and he greedily takes it all, his mouth still working against her.

She’s barely coherent as she comes down from her high. Jughead doesn’t give her time to recover. He crawls back up her body and she’s still pulsing from her orgasm when he enters her in one full stroke, bottoming out.

His jaw clenches and he grips her thighs harder, spreading her even wider so she can take more of him. Her head is thrown back in pleasure and he bends down to nip at her collar bone. He thrusts hard into her at a punishing pace. She grips his biceps and starts to whimper as her orgasm builds again. She meets him thrust for thrust, moaning loudly. He smirks down at her and moves suddenly, sitting back on his heels. He pulls her body up and continues to fuck into her at a brutal pace. His hands cup her ass and at this angle, he feels so deep, like he’s touching a part of her body that’s been hidden before. Her orgasm spreads through her like wildfire and he follows soon after, pulling her body towards him as close as she can get as he comes, painting her walls with his release.

He collapses against her, careful not to crush her or put too much weight on her. She hums lightly and kisses his nose gently. He moves and rests on his side, loving the flush of pink that colors her body.

Tingles shoot up her spine at his touch as he caresses her gently. She snuggles a little closer to him and breathes in his comforting scent.

“Now I’m sleepy again,” she murmurs.

He gently cradles her head against his chest. “Then sleep.”

000000000000000000000000000000000

When she reawakes an hour later, Jughead has his reading glasses on, book in hand. She rolls onto her side and blinks her bright green eyes open with a smile. She looks down at the hardcover and shakes her head gently.

“Vonnegut again?”

“It’s a classic,” he defends. He’s read _Slaughterhouse-Five_ at least a half dozen times by this point.

“It’s so depressing!”

“Says the woman that likes _King Lear_.” He shuts the book with a slight thud and takes off his glasses, setting both on the nightstand next to him. “Also it’s not depressing, per say, just accurate and realistic.”

“A story about time travel is realistic?” Betty asks with a raised eyebrow.

“The anti war themes and sentiments were realistic,” he amends.

She agrees with this or at least, she doesn’t refute it; she starts to move off the bed towards the restroom. Grabbing a t-shirt of his from the dresser, she pulls it over her head.

“Does this mean I won the argument?” Jughead calls out to her retreating form.

She simply rolls her eyes. “You wish, Jones.”

He joins her in the bathroom, one arm coming around her waist. They both start to get ready for the day, brushing their teeth in relative silence as his hand gently grazes the exposed skin of her hip. After they finish up, Betty walks into the kitchen to start on breakfast as Jughead prepares the coffee. She puts on a Spotify playlist and they both move around each other like a familiar dance. She bops her head to the music and sings along.

She cracks open a few eggs into a glass bowl and adds a dash of half and half, mixing it quickly. She adds some scallions and shredded cheese to the oiled pan. After a few minutes, she places the two omelets on the kitchen island. She grabs a piece of toast and nibbles at the corner, glancing over at him curiously.

He hasn’t eaten a single bite. It’s strange. Usually, he’s the first to dig in, immediately eating even before she finishes setting the plate down in front of him.

She nudges his leg with her own. “Not in the mood for omelettes?”

This rouses him from his thoughts and he turns to smile at her before he cuts himself a big bite. “I’m always in the mood for omelettes. Thanks for making this, Betts. It’s great.”

They idly chat about what they should do today. She’s so grateful that she has this full day with him. Weekends are her favorite and the main reason is because she gets to see so much of him and spend time with him.

“I want to take you out to dinner tonight,” he says as he rubs circles into her knee.

Her nose scrunches up in the cutest fashion. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion,” he says quickly. “I just want to talk to you about something and also want to take you out for a fancy dinner. Is that okay?” He asks teasingly, kissing her on the cheek.

She giggles and pushes him away gently. “This sounds ominous.”

“It’s not,” he replies.

“Okay, well we have Archie and Val’s gig tonight so maybe we can go somewhere nice after that?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll make a reservation somewhere.”

She nods and returns her attention to devouring the eggs, never seeing the uncertainty flash in his eyes.

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Later, they end up at a secondhand and vintage bookstore. She introduced the spot to Jughead weeks ago, citing it as one of her favorite hideaways in the city. Since then, they’ve wandered it’s aisles multiple times. She’s always been enamored with old bookstores, loving everything from the smell of the air to the feel of creased pages against her fingertips.

Her feet move across the tiled floors in a familiar pattern as she goes straight for the fiction section. Jughead is a few aisles away from her, no doubt perusing through the non-fiction department for the newest true crime additions. She traces her fingers against the spines.

She really doesn’t need more books. There’s at least 10 new unread books sitting on her bookshelf right now that she still hasn’t gotten around to reading yet. But she still loves to explore what’s new. Her eyes land on a book encased in a plexi display box. She stands on her tiptoes so she can get a closer look. A small gasp escapes from her lips.

It’s a first-edition of the Golden Cockerel Press hardcover of _Twelfth Night_. Bound in Moroccan leather, it’s illustrated by Eric Ravilious, a famed British artist and designer. Her fingers graze the box gently.

She doesn’t know how long she stands there staring at the book but eventually, Jughead appears behind her, holding her around the waist and pulling her body flush against his. He leans down and kisses her on the neck.

“You see anything you want?”

She shakes her head against him and only spares the briefest of glances towards the rare book. They walk out of the store and head towards her favorite noodle shop that’s only a few blocks away. He squeezes her hand after they’ve walked a block.

“Crap, I think I left my phone at the bookstore. I’m going to run to get it,” he says.

Betty looks up at him. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, it’s fine. Why don’t you go on and I’ll meet you at the noodle place in a few minutes?”

She agrees easily. “You want the beef noodles, right?”

“Extra spicy!” He calls out as he backs away with a grin.

She gives him a dorky thumbs up before she turns around with a small smile. It only takes another few minutes to get to the noodle shop and after placing their order, she sits down at a table and sips at her iced oolong tea. She hears their order number being called out soon after and she gets up to grab their food. As she makes her way back to the table, she sees Jughead rush into the store, his hair messy from the wind.

He smiles brightly at her as she sets down the tray of food. He pushes a bag towards her side of the table.

“What’s this?” She asks, curious.

“Open it.”

She does as he asks and almost drops the item into the plate of noodles. It’s the book -- the first-edition, hand illustrated copy of _Twelfth Night_.

“Jughead, I-” she can’t even form a sentence. He’s managed to render her completely speechless.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,” she replies immediately. She caresses the hardcover before pushing it back into the bag. “But I can’t possibly accept this. It’s too much,” she insists.

“Of course, you can accept it. Think of it as a birthday gift.”

“My birthday isn’t for another eight months!”

“Okay, so an early Christmas gift then.” He grins. “Besides it’s non-returnable.”

She opens and closes her mouth a few times, no words escaping. Finally, she puts the book into her tote bag, walks around the table, and then throws herself into Jughead’s arms, placing soft kisses all over his face.

“You’re spoiling me.”

“I always want to spoil you,” he whispers against her neck.

They remained entwined like that, her in his lap, arms completely enveloping him.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

The bar is shockingly full for Archie and Val’s pop-up surprise performance. Betty’s glad that she and Jughead decided to arrive when they did because only minutes afterwards, the bar seems to be completely packed. They sit at a table with a good view of the stage, her body leaning into his.

Reggie and Josie couldn’t make it as they’re still visiting his family in Korea. They’ve been gone for nearly two weeks and Betty misses her best friend dearly. Her days feel empty without her. They rarely go so long without being in communication but texts and calls to Korea are ridiculously expensive so she’s tried her best to hold back.

Betty hums along to the couple’s rendition of a mashup of a John Legend song mixed with a single by A Great Big World. It’s hauntingly beautiful and she finds that she’s entranced by the combination of their two voices. They meld together perfectly and is yet another expression of how wonderful they are together.

It’s so obvious that they’re meant to be soulmates. All you have to do is just watch them sing to each other.

She presses her head against Jughead’s chest, loving the feel of the warmth emanating from his body. He holds her tight and briefly, she wonders if she and he are the same. Is it also obvious to others that they are soulmates?

She hopes so. She’s starting to find it difficult to imagine her life without him.

As Archie and Val wrap up their set, Jughead and Betty clap excitedly, cheering their friends on. Jughead gives her waist a squeeze before he moves off the stool and heads to the bar to refill their drinks. Betty idly sucks on an ice cube as she waits. Archie approaches the table with a wide smile and she hugs him, wishing him congratulations on an excellent set. She sees Val talking to Jughead at the bar as they both wait to order their drinks.

“I’m so glad you made it! I keep forgetting you guys aren’t leaving until the end of the month,” Archie says.

Betty furrows her brows, completely perplexed, as she asks, “Leaving? What?”

“You know, to Madrid. Your soulmate getting that opportunity of a lifetime there?” He explains, not registering her confusion. He plows on ahead in blissful ignorance. “I know he’s been fighting it for a while but a deal’s a deal, right? All the overtime hours in the world aren’t enough.”

Her hand comes out and she touches Archie’s forearm, gripping it with more force than she intended. “What?”

It’s only then that Archie’s eyes widen as he realizes the severity of the situation. “Did-did he not tell you yet?”

“No,” she says tightly. “Explain. Now.”

“I really-” He starts to argue but then she squeezes his forearm again, this time painfully so and he gives in.

“Jughead wanted the transfer to New York. The only way that he could get the permanent transfer was if he would agree to work in the Madrid office for a year to train the team there. He's one of the few specialists in his field. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, really. It would be so much exposure and it would really boost his resume. I don’t really know why he’s been fighting it when he’d pretty much be set after that.”

She knows why. She knows exactly why.

Betty sits back in her seat, completely shocked. Jughead has been lying to her all this time. Her mind starts to race and vaguely, she hears Archie asking her if she’s okay. She doesn’t answer. She just grabs her purse off the table and walks out of the bar, shrugging her jacket on.

It’s cold tonight. The air is crisp and she can see her breath form in front of her face as she exhales. Numbly, she starts to walk towards the subway. She doesn’t get very far.

“Betty! Betty, stop!” Jughead calls out from behind her.

She turns around and sees him running down the sidewalk frantically. He’s not wearing a jacket so he must’ve rushed out.

“You’re going to get cold,” she says flatly.

“It doesn’t matter. Why did you leave? What did Archie say to you?”

“You’ve been lying to me.” Her voice is emotionless, as if she’s talking about the weather.

His expression is alarmed as it dawns on him. “I haven’t-” He tries to say before he stops, his arms falling limply to his side. “I thought I could fix it.”

“How long have you known?” She suddenly recalls the interaction between him and his sister at the High Line. “Is this what you and Jellybean were fighting over? That was weeks ago. Is that how long you’ve been keeping this from me? What, you just decided it wasn’t pertinent information that should be shared with me?”

He flinches at every single one of her questions. “I’ve known since the beginning.” He steps forward and tries to hold her hands but she immediately retreats a step back to keep the distance between them. He sighs. “I knew that first moment when I saw you in Chicago that you were my soulmate. You hadn’t even said a single word to me yet but I could just feel it and the tattoo on my wrist only confirmed it. You didn’t seem to care at all so I knew I had to make the next move. I had to do whatever it takes to follow you and come here. The offer was simple: I’d get a promotion and would be able to transfer to the New York office permanently but I have to go to Madrid for a year to train a new team that focuses on my specialty. I'm in an unconventional asset class so there’s not that many experts in the field."

She’s quiet for a few moments and with each passing second, dread creeps onto his face.

“You said that you knew about the transfer before you met me. You’ve been lying to me for months.” He looks down in shame at these words. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks quietly.

“I thought I could fix it.” He repeats his words from before, his voice pained and defeated. “I thought if I just worked the hours they demanded and busted my ass, they’d let me out of the contingency. But they didn’t and I still have to go.”

He takes a step forward and reaches his arm out towards hers, needing to physically touch her, but she moves away quickly, still evading him. "I'm so sorry. That's what the dinner was for. I was going to tell you tonight. I didn't want you to find out this way."

"Then maybe you should've told me earlier instead of hiding it from me for so long!" She retorts, her voice explosive.

He sighs again for what seems like the thousandth time. “Betty, please. You have to know that I didn’t mean to keep this from you. I’m so sorry. I just-” he pauses. “I didn’t want to scare you and tell you that I moved here for you. What I feel for you, this connection -- it’s intense and all-consuming and I had no idea if you felt the same way after Chicago so I lied. Any time I hinted at it, the possibility seemed to freak you out. I just needed more time with you so I could convince you that I am someone you could fall in love with. The longer I went without telling you, the more terrified I became that it would all blow up in my face. It was stupid of me to keep it from you and I’m so sorry."

She’s still silent and unresponsive. He reaches his arm out again but she pushes them away forcefully.

“Come with me,” he pleads. “I want you to come with me. If you don't want to come then I'll quit and stay in New York with you."

Her head snaps up at this and her eyes widen. "This is a lot of information to process, Jughead. You just put so much responsibility onto my shoulders.”

He doesn’t seem to hear her, not really. “Come with me,” he repeats. “Please.”

She can feel the tears start to sting her eyes but she stubbornly blinks them back. Why? Why is it this same issue, yet again? “Jughead, my entire life is here.”

“Then I’ll stay,” he says immediately. “I’ll quit and stay.”

“No.”

She sees him start to shiver against the cold and all she wants is to go to him, wrap her arms around him, and keep him safely hidden in the warmth of her heart.

“I lov-”

“You need to go.” She sighs and looks down, closing her eyes briefly as she steels herself for the impact. “Whatever this is between us, it’s over. You need to go.”

She can’t look at him. If she did, she would see his face colored with disbelief and devastation.

He opens his mouth to argue but she turns on her foot and starts to walk away. He runs up to her and pulls her arm back, trying his best to stop her but not harm her.

“Betty, please. Please look at me,” he says to her, tipping her face up so she would look into his eyes. “Please,” he breathes against her. “Don’t do this.” He pauses again, his voice sorrowful as he says, “There has to be a corner of your heart, some small part of it, that feels something for me?”

“No.”

It’s the hardest thing she’s ever had to say and it’s all a lie because she knows, without a doubt, that she loves him. He is her soulmate, after all. All the nerves in her body stand on edge at his words. She wants to go to him and melt into his embrace.

She can’t though. He’s not hers anymore. He can’t be.

She knows that she shouldn’t do this but she can’t not do this. She needs to do this and break both their hearts. _It’s an opportunity of a lifetime_ , Archie had said. So if it truly is, she needs to let him go so he can take it.

He's worked tirelessly over the last few years to get to this point and she can't stand in the way of that, especially knowing fragments of his past. The type of job security afterwards that this opportunity would afford -- it's immeasurable and for a poor boy from the wrong side of town, it must be all he's ever wanted. She can’t be what holds him back -- that would break her even more.

She thinks it’s bitterly cruel of the universe to do this to her. To introduce her to the greatest love of her life only for him to be taken away. Their time isn’t now. A small part of her hopes that he can forgive her for this so that they can try again in the distant future. She knows that her heart will always come back to him; he is an inescapable force. They are soulmates, with hearts intertwined from this life to the next. She never truly understood the depth and meaning of it until she fell in love with him.

“No, you feel something for me. I know you do.” He stares at her with a desolate and pleading expression. “You have to.”

“I don’t.”

They’re both silent for a few more painful minutes. When she finally hedges a glance in his direction, his face hardens. “You’re really going to do this? You’re going to just push me away?”

She’s still and doesn’t say a word.

He clenches his hand into a fist and she can see him tightening his grip.

“Fine. I’ll go,” he finally says, his tone pure venom. “There’s nothing keeping me here anyway.”

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof. Rough, I know. Don't worry, you know I got you with that happy ending. I'm posting two chapters this week so read on!


	10. All I want is, all I need is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting two chapters this week! Make sure you’re on the right one! 
> 
> _“Always resignation and acceptance. Always prudence and honour and duty. Elinor, where is your heart?” - Sense and Sensibility,_ Marianne to Elinor

_All I want is nothing more_  
_Than to hear you knocking at my door_  
_Cause you brought out the best in me_  
_A part of me I'd never seen_  
_You took my soul and wiped it clean_  
_Our love was made for movie screens_  
_If you loved me, why'd you leave me_

_"All I want" by Kodaline_

**Chapter 10: All I want is, all I need is**

She doesn’t cry at all.

Since her fight with Jughead that fateful night, Betty hasn’t shed a single tear. It’s unusual. She spends the rest of the week in her room, unwilling to see anyone, ignoring Kevin’s concerned knocking and pleas for her to come out and talk to him. She uses up her sick time. Zoe doesn’t ask any questions -- she just grants it.

When Betty finally exits her haven after a week, she breezes past Kevin who is gaping at her from the kitchen.

“Betty, what happened? Are you okay?” He asks, unrelenting in his questioning.

She shrugs him off and gives excuses that she needs to head into work. Her brain is numb the whole subway ride there and she spends the entire time staring at the same page in her book, re-reading the line of dialogue over and over again.

_“Always resignation and acceptance. Always prudence and honour and duty. Elinor, where is your heart?”_

At work, her performance suffers. She can’t really concentrate. She tries to answer emails but nothing comes out. Thirty minutes were spent on drafting a single one with no words flowing out.

She thought she could just go back to her normal life without any issue. But she can’t.

She leaves a little early that day which is so unlike her. Zoe understands; it’s Betty’s first real day back at work after a bit of absence so her boss practically shepherds Betty out of the office. When she gets back to her apartment, she’s grateful that Kevin isn’t home yet and immediately shuffles towards her room so she can hide in it for the rest of the night. The hours and minutes seem to pass by both so slowly and quickly at the same time. It’s a perplexing phenomenon.

She’s lost track of what day it is. She thinks it’s been a week since she broke up with her soulmate but she’s not positive.

It all seems to blur together into one giant mess.

She lies down on her bed and shuts her eyes, willing sleep to come but it doesn’t. Instead, she lies there, eyes fluttering and wide awake, no respite coming to her. It’s about an hour later when she hears her bedroom door click open. The bed dips with the weight of the other person and she feels arms go around her midsection.

Betty turns around and faces them directly, tears forming in her eyes. She cradles Josie’s face and leans into her shoulder, finally letting the sobs consume her. They stay like that for a while -- Betty crying and Josie holding her comfortingly. Josie tries to soothe her best friend, whispering calming words against her but Betty can’t be consoled.

The sobs wrack her whole body and Betty visibly trembles in Josie’s arms.

“I missed you,” Betty finally says, cuddling even closer.

“I missed you too,” Josie whispers. She leans back a little and looks at her best friend’s tear-stricken face. “I should never leave you alone. I’m gone for three weeks and look what happens.”

Betty lets out a light laugh and shakes her head. “Please never leave me again. I can’t do any of this without you.”

Josie continues to caress Betty’s hair and finally asks, “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I’ve been so foolish,” Betty whispers out, her head still buried against Josie. She couldn’t look at her. “I’ve been so very very foolish.”

Josie waits but she doesn’t say anything more. She glances down at her and sees that she’s sleeping. Josie holds her tighter and closes her eyes, falling asleep to sounds of Betty’s even breathing.

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When Betty wakes up, she’s groggy and disoriented. She has no idea what day it is or what time it is. She pushes her hair out of her face and sits up in her bed. It’s early evening and the covers next to her are cool to the touch so she knows she’s been alone for a while now. Throwing her hair up into a messy bun and pulling on a sweatshirt, she cautiously opens her door and steps out into the living room.

“There’s my girl!” Josie calls out with a smile. She holds up a carton of pad thai. “We ordered food, babe. You want some?”

Betty’s stomach rumbles in response and a tiny smile escapes her as she nods and sits down on the couch next to Josie and Kevin.

Kevin watches her warily and opens his mouth to speak before Josie shoots him a warning glare. She grabs the remote and turns on Netflix, flipping through the rom-com selections.

“What are you in the mood for?” Josie asks while clicking through a few movie titles.

“You pick,” Betty says softly. She takes a dainty bite of pad thai, eating directly out of the carton. She’s definitely hungry, having not really eaten all day but it’s difficult for her to stomach much of anything right now.

“So, we’re just not going to talk about it?” Kevin asks, ignoring Josie’s deathly glower. She moves to slap him in the chest but he deftly avoids her. “I’m just saying-”

“She’ll talk about it when she’s ready,” Josie interrupts and says protectively. Her entire body moves to shield Betty. For what seems like the thousandth time that day, Betty is so grateful that she has someone as wonderful as Josie in her life.

“It’s fine, Jos,” Betty says, turning her attention to the movie playing on the TV. “Can we just watch the movie?”

Josie nods and leans back into the couch, wrapping a blanket around hers and Betty’s bodies as they settle in. Betty rests her head on Josie’s shoulder and they watch the movie in relative silence. As the film winds down and the end credits start to roll, Betty realizes that she has no idea what she just watched. 90 minutes had just passed but it felt barely like 30 seconds had gone by. She blinked and the time was gone.

Josie must sense her unrest because she nudges her foot that’s resting on the coffee table against Betty’s.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” she murmurs quietly in response.

But it’s a lie. She’s not fine, not really. Josie patiently waits for her to continue because she knows her all too well.

“I miss him,” Betty admits. She fidgets with the edge of the blanket for a few moments before she throws it off herself roughly. She gets up and starts to pace around the living room, ignoring the concerned looks on Josie and Kevin’s faces. “I hate that I feel this way. Why didn’t anybody tell me that it would feel this way?”

Neither answers her. They just watch her move around the room at a frantic pace. Betty launches into a condensed version of everything that was finally revealed last week. Kevin and Josie probably both already know most of it because their friend group is so small and close. She’s positive that either Archie or Val would’ve already told them both at this point.

Recalling it all is painful. She thinks she prefers the emotional purgatory she put herself through this past week. At least then, all she feels is numbness.

“It hurts to breathe,” she whispers, though the words sound harsh against the air. “All I want is to go to him but that’s stupid, right? God, I’m so stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Josie replies comfortingly. “He’s your soulmate, of course you miss him. You’re wired to feel that way. When Reggie’s not around, my body physically aches for him. My soul misses his.”

“So do I just live with this?” Betty asks.

“Well, can you forgive him?” Kevin poses the question cautiously.

“I think I already have,” she responds quietly. “Do I hate that he kept this from me for months? Of course, I do. Do I wish that he trusted me more so he felt like he could tell me earlier? Yes, a million times yes. Should he have talked to me about this instead of shouldering the weight of it all and then forcing me into an ultimatum? Absolutely. But the reality is that he didn’t tell me and we can’t go back from there. We just have to move forward.”

“And what is forward?” Josie hedges.

“I have no idea,” Betty breathes out. Air escapes from her lungs and she has difficulty inhaling in. “I can’t go with him, Jos. My entire life is here. My job is here. You’re here. Kevin’s here. Everything is here.”

“You wouldn’t be moving for the rest of your life though. It’s a year,” Kevin comments.

“A year is a long time, Kev!”

Josie massages her temple with her forefingers. “I feel like I’m having deja vu. Did we not have this exact same conversation a few months ago?”

Betty falters for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“Betty, you know he lied about the real reason for his transfer. He was willing to request it immediately after he met you. He moved to New York for you, for his soulmate. You don’t think you can do the same for him?”

Her voice cracks. “How do you even know that?”

“Because Archie tells Val everything and Val, in turn, tells me everything,” Josie replies easily.

“Did you know-”

“No, I didn’t. If I knew everything else, of course I would’ve told you,” Josie says honestly. “I didn’t want to tell you about the real reason he transferred because I didn’t want you to freak out.”

“I wouldn’t have-”

Josie interrupts her best friend once again. “Don’t lie, boo. Yes, you would’ve. You always do. You’re doing it right now. You’re catching feelings and running.”

“It’s not that simple,” Betty says with a sigh. She walks back towards the couch and sits down on it, turning her whole body towards her friends.

“It is that simple,” Josie argues. “Relationships are about compromise. Sometimes, in your career you have to pick the second best option so your soulmate can pick the first best. It's not a bad thing, Betty. You do it because you're a team. You choose what's best for both of you long term. Does this job really matter that much to you? More so than your soulmate? Even if it does, okay fine, maybe you can work remotely? Did you ask Zoe about that? Or maybe you guys try at long distance? There's so many options. You have to talk it out instead of running away and giving up.”

“I didn't think of that and I haven’t talked to Zoe,” Betty admits, her voice taking on a hint of guilt. She flinches at Josie's points and the continuous stream of questions. A sense of dread starts to build in the pit of her stomach and she's starting to realize she made a huge mistake.

“Why not?” Kevin asks.

“Because I’m fucking terrified!” The words explode from her mouth and she knows she can’t take them back. Betty sighs again and leans back against the cushions, shutting her eyes closed forcefully. “You’re right, Jos. You’re always right. I just-” she pauses and opens her eyes slowly. “This is all happening so fast and I’m scared. I don’t do things like this.”

“You have to stop running away, babe. He’s your soulmate. He’s it for you. Tell me you don’t feel the loss of him every moment. You feel it right now, don’t you?” Josie asks quietly.

It’s true. She does feel it except Betty doesn’t know if she would describe it as a loss. For her, it feels more like a numbing sensation. If she reaches down and traces her fingers over her chest, she would still feel the beat of her heart. Physically, it is still there, pumping blood and keeping her organs functioning. But on every other spectrum, it’s frozen -- still and not beating. It doesn’t feel right. Her heart should beat but it won’t. It can’t. The mechanism is fragmented.

“Betty, do you love him?” Josie questions, breaking through Betty’s hazy thoughts.

“Yes.” It slips from her with almost no resistance; she has no desire to stop it. It feels wrong that of the first two people to hear her confession, neither are Jughead. She should’ve told him first. But she didn’t because this is all so new and terrifying.

She should’ve told him when he asked her to come with him. But she didn’t. Instead, she ran like she always does.

“I can’t ask him to stay,” Betty says quietly. “This opportunity is everything that he’s been working towards the last few years. I can’t stand in the way of that.”

“So don’t.”

The room is silent. After what seems like an eternity, Betty finally speaks. “Okay.”

Betty doesn't need to tell Josie her decision. Her best friend knows her so well that she can tell immediately. Josie laces her fingers through Betty’s and squeezes her hand tightly. “I’m going to miss you, babe.”

“Me too.”

They hug each other tightly and Josie sniffles.

“Don’t cry yet. I still have to talk to him about it. I lied and broke his heart, Jos. He might not forgive me.”

“He’s going to forgive you,” Josie responds, continuing to hold her close.

“I feel like I’m interrupting a private moment,” Kevin comments.

They both giggle and reach over, welcoming Kevin into their group hug.

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The person she calls for information is Archie, not Jughead.

This is mostly because Jughead isn’t answering her calls or texts. When she looks down at her wrist, it reads _14 miles southeast_. It’s strange because Jughead’s apartment is 2 miles west of her place so he’s definitely not home. She quashes down her original idea of just showing up at his door.

“Betty?” Archie answers after six long drawn out rings.

“Archie,” she says, thankful that he actually picked up. “Where is Jughead? I’m trying to get a hold of him but he’s not answering any of my calls.”

“Uhhh,” he responds, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t know.”

“Archie, I know that he’s not at home or at your place. My soulmark reads 14 miles southeast so that means he’s in Brooklyn or Queens. What the hell is he doing out there?”

“Uhhh,” Archie continues to say before she hears shuffling on the other end and then some muffled arguing. He must be talking to Val. “I really don’t think it’s my place to say anything,” he finally lets out after a few seconds.

“Archie, come on-”

“Betty, the last time I accidentally put my foot in my mouth and got into the middle of this, I ruined my best friend’s only chance at happiness with his soulmate. So, you can see why I’m reluctant to repeat the experience and do it again. I honestly don’t even know if Jughead has completely forgiven me yet.”

She hears someone, she’s assuming Val, yell out, “Tell her, you oaf!”

“I’m in love with him, Arch. I’m going to tell him that I’m going with him.” She really hates that she’s now told three people this, none of whom are Jughead.

“You are?”

“Yes, I am. Now tell me where he is so I can apologize to him and fix this.”

“He’s at the airport.”

“What? Why? I thought he wasn’t leaving until the end of the month.”

“Well, after last week kinda blew up in his face, he asked his office if he could just go now to start setting up,” Archie reveals solemnly. “I think it was really hard for him to be here when the city just reminds him of you.”

“I-” she stops herself, refusing to launch into this with him right now. “I need his flight number, the airline, and the airport that he’s at.”

00000000000000000000000000000000000

This is the first time that she’s riding an Uber X, not pool, heading to JFK without any luggage. When she gets in the car, the driver gives her a questioning glance that she ignores. Her left leg taps the floor furiously and she can’t stop looking at her wrist, willing the number to get smaller rather than increase. So far, she seems to be getting closer.

_7 miles southeast._

Archie had begrudgingly provided her with all the information she demanded, warning her to not break Jughead’s heart again.

Betty looks out the window, the scenery consisting of passing buildings in a concrete jungle. She’s been safe in her bubble first growing up in upstate New York, coming to the big city for college and then staying for work. She’s been to a few states on some short road trips with her family but joining Josie and the Pussycats on their tour to the Midwest was the furthest extent of her travels. She’s never been out west. She’s also never left the continental United States.

She doesn’t even know if her passport is valid or expired.

It’s all a little surreal that now she’s considering moving to an entirely different country, across the ocean, with someone that she met three months ago, someone that spent most of that time keeping a pretty important secret from her.

Betty Cooper doesn’t do this. She doesn’t take risks this big. She is not the type of person to follow someone across the Atlantic on a whim.

This is all so far out of her comfort zone. She’s also never hurriedly rushed to the airport to stop the man she loves from getting on a plane and exiting her life for the foreseeable future. It’s all a bit dramatic and suddenly, she feels like the heroine in a movie.

She’s at the climax now. She still has no idea if she’ll get her happy ending.

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	11. Home is wherever I’m with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I didn't hurt you too much last week. We're almost at the ennnnnnd! 
> 
> As always, thank you Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for beta-ing and being a constant source of support and happiness!
> 
> This iconic line: _“I got stupid and scared and stupid a couple more times”_ is from Friends, Chandler Bing to Janice.

_I’ll follow you in the park_  
_Through the jungle, through the dark_  
_Girl, I’ve never loved one like you_  
_Moats and boats and waterfalls_  
_Alleyways and payphone calls_  
_I’ve been everywhere with you_

_“Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros_

**Chapter 11: Home is wherever I’m with you**

When the Uber finally arrives at the terminal, Betty flies out the door, slamming it shut, shouting out a quick thanks to the driver and barrels through the revolving doors. It’s one of those automatic ones that’s unable to go faster than the preset speed so she’s right up against the glass, furiously pushing against it but to no avail.

She manages to slip through after a few prolonged seconds. Her eyes travel frantically over the brightly lit screens and she spots what she’s looking for: _Iberia 6252, JFK to Madrid._

Legs moving faster than ever, she bolts towards the airline counters. There’s a giant line at the check-in and baggage drop off area so she goes straight for the help desk, thankful that there isn’t a line there.

She sidles up to the counter, not even waiting for the staff member to wave her over.

“Hi there. My name is Betty Cooper and I know this is going to sound very dramatic but my soulmate, Forsythe Pendleton Jones III is on flight 6252. I need you to please call the captain and stop that flight. Please don’t let that plane leave.” Her words come out in a mad rush and vaguely, she’s aware that she probably looks insane right now between her windblown hair and the frantic look she knows is in her eyes. Consciously, she takes a step back away from the desk and straightens her spine.

“Ma’am. I’m sorry but I don’t have the authority to stop a flight. You won’t be able to go through security unless you’re a ticketed passenger,” the ground staff member replies politely with only a hint of trepidation.

Betty looks down at her soulmark desperately, _1/3 mile north_. He’s in the terminal and she is so close. She wills him to look down at his wrist or to start answering her text messages and calls. He can’t leave. She can’t let him leave.

“How much is a ticket?” She asks.

“Final boarding has already happened, ma’am. I don’t think you’ll be able to make it-” The staff member starts to say but is quickly interrupted.

“How much is a ticket?” Betty repeats.

The woman inputs a few things into the computer, her fingers clacking against the keyboard. “$2575 for an economy class seat.”

Betty’s eyes widen. That’s more than she pays in rent each month. There’s no way that she can afford that. This is a dire time though, and if it’s going to cost $2600 for her to fix the worst mistake she’s ever made, so be it. She starts to reach into her purse to grab her wallet when she notices it: _1/2 mile northwest. 3/4 mile northwest. 1 mile northwest._

The distance between her and Jughead is getting wider and wider as she stares at her wrist. Briefly, she debates just tearing through the terminal and trying to run to him but that would be really crazy and she would definitely end up accosted and arrested. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looks up frantically at the airline staff member.

“I’m afraid it’s too late, ma’am,” the attendant says to Betty solemnly. “I just checked and the doors are closed. The plane is already traveling towards the runway.”

Her soulmark feels like it’s burning against her skin, settling her entire arm aflame but Betty can’t look at her soulmark anymore; not when she’s failed so miserably. She tugs the sleeve of her jacket down, hiding it from her sight.

“Thank you for your help,” she says softly to the woman who only offers her a sad conciliatory smile.

00000000000000000000000000000

The time between the airport and getting back to her apartment is lost to her. She’s numb, a familiar feeling nowadays. It feels like she’s going to suffocate from the amount of disappointment she feels towards herself. She’s ruined this. Why has she ruined this?

Josie is right. She does always do this to herself. There is so much self-loathing for her self-sabotage.

As she gets out of the car and walks up the steps to her building, she feels her wrist tingling but she ignores it, unable to look at her soulmark right now. It would hurt too much to look down and see the numbers increase more and more with each passing minute.

When she gets to the landing, she sees a pair of long, outstretched legs. Someone’s sitting at her door. She wonders if Kevin locked himself out? Maybe she should’ve checked her phone. She rushes up the last few stairs and freezes when she’s finally at the top.

There, sitting against her door, is Jughead Jones. There’s a small suitcase resting against the wall next to him.

It’s barely a millisecond later that she launches herself into his arms, collapsing on the floor in a puddle of happy tears.

“You’re here,” she whispers into his neck, tightening her grip on him.

“I’m here,” he says. He brushes the hair out of her face and when she pulls back to look at him, he wipes the tears from her cheeks.

“I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should’ve told you every day that I felt it.” He places a soft kiss to her cheek. “But I got stupid and scared and stupid a couple more times.”

Betty lets out a tearful giggle and leans forward, giving him a gentle kiss to the lips.

“I’ll tell you every moment that I feel it from now on, Betty. I promise I will. You’re my soulmate and I love you so much.” He holds her even closer, if that’s possible. “I can’t give up on us,” he whispers.

“I don’t want you to!” She says immediately. “I went to the airport to stop you. I’m pretty sure the airport staff thought I was insane but it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to let you go.”

He breathes in her scent and kisses the top of her head. “We’re really bad at this, aren’t we?”

“The worst, honestly,” she replies, echoing his words from that conversation all those months ago.

They continue to hold one another and Betty knows she’s probably gripping him too tightly but she can’t stop herself. He’s here. He’s really here.

They sit there, for goodness knows how long.

A voice suddenly interrupts them. “Why are you guys on the floor? Also, Jughead, nice to see you again.” Kevin winks at him from the stairs, peeking at them through the banister. “So it looks like you guys are doing some-” he pauses, “stuff,” he finishes. “I’m going to go stay at Fangs’ tonight. Toodle loo!”

Kevin gives them a wave before he disappears again.

Betty giggles before she leans her head further into Jughead’s chest. “We should probably go inside. My neighbors are going to think I’m weird.”

“Yeah, probably.”

They stay like that for another ten minutes.

000000000000000000000000000000

When they enter her apartment a while later, they’re both quiet, the weight of the conversation they’re about to have and definitely should have, hanging above them. Betty moves into the kitchen and gestures vaguely for him to sit.

“Tea?”

“Sure.”

She knows he’s not a big tea drinker but she assumes that he’ll agree to anything at this point. Grabbing the electric water kettle, she starts to fill it up and plugs it in, turning it on. She sets two mugs down and selects the mint green tea box, all the while actively not turning around and looking at Jughead, giving him time to initiate the conversation.

“I’m sorry,” he starts. She glances back at him and sees that he’s bouncing his leg against the stool, clearly jittery and nervous.

“I’m sorry too,” she returns.

It’s a start but it’s not enough. They’re both quiet again and she silently curses their incapability at communicating. Behind her, the kettle signals that it’s ready and she pours the hot water into the mugs, handing him one after a few seconds.

She wraps her hands around the mug, finding comfort in its warmth.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you away,” she says quietly. “It was the wrong thing to do and I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I was stupid and scared. I think my immediate reaction when I get overwhelmed with feelings is to just run away. I’ve always known it but I don’t think I even realized I was doing it until Josie told me. She knows me better than I know myself sometimes. I was running and I shouldn’t have done that.”

She moves to sit next to him on a stool and turns so that their knees graze against one another’s. He leans forward and takes her hand gently in his, making small designs in her open palm.

“I shouldn’t have let you push me away. I knew you were doing it too, but when you said you didn’t feel anything for me it just felt like my heart was being torn from my chest so I shut down. That’s always been my coping mechanism. If I shut down, then no one can hurt me.” He plays with the handle of the mug, shifting closer to her.

“I was lying, Jug. I’m so sorry I lied,” she replies, her voice genuine and clear.

He looks into her eyes, his gaze unwavering. “I never should’ve kept it from you and I’m so sorry I did. It’s hard for me sometimes to trust in people.” He lets out an indelicate snort, shaking his head. “As if that isn’t already obvious. I don’t let people in very often and when it comes to difficult situations, I always think I can solve it all by myself. It’s hard to turn it off sometimes. I've spent years thinking that it's my job and my responsibility to take care of the people I love, to shield them from everything.”

"You don't need to shield me, Jug. We're supposed to be partners," she replies.

"You're right," he agrees. "It's something I need to work on."

A few more moments pass. “Why didn’t you get on the plane?” She asks softly.

“I tried to, I really did. I packed all my stuff and it’s actually being shipped to Madrid right now.” He lets out a dry laugh. “But I couldn’t leave you. I just couldn’t leave it how we did. I hate fighting with you. It felt like I was tearing my own soul apart and when I got to the airport, I just didn’t know why we were doing this. It was so stupid. I could never go through with it -- forcibly being apart from you and shutting off my feelings for you.”

Betty takes a slow sip before she sets the mug back down again. She squeezes his hand. “We’re soulmates, Jug. I don’t think I truly understood what that meant until last week. Everything just felt so fragmented without you and I could feel my heart and my soul screaming out for you. I don’t think I would ever want to go through that again.” She pauses for a moment. “I used to hate thinking like that. I used to hate thinking that I needed to depend on someone as a source of happiness but I realize now, it’s not that at all. It’s not codependence. It’s trust. I’ve never been in love before and experiencing it now, for the first time, is so terrifying. I feel like I’m exposing myself but I’m willing to take that risk because I know that I can trust you. I know that you’ll keep my heart safe.”

She lets out a deep sigh before she turns to face him completely. Reaching forward, she cradles his cheeks in the palms of her hands. “I love you, Jughead Jones. I’m tired of running away. I don’t want to run away from you and from this.”

“I love you, Betty Cooper.”

He leans in and brings their lips together. It’s so soft and sweet and her heart feels like it’s going to explode from the fullness. When he pulls back, she lets out a small whimper of disappointment. He brushes the hair out of her face.

“I want to tell you about my childhood,” he says.

She smiles at him, so bright and blinding, and she scooches her chair even closer. “Okay,” she agrees immediately. “I’m here.”

“I know.”

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Betty’s not sure how they ended up like this, clothes strewn, him pushing her up against her door, her legs wrapped around him as she struggles to unbutton his dress shirt and remove it from his body. Before this, they were talking, she gently rubbing circles into his knee as she listened to him speak. He revealed much more than he ever has, talking for what seemed like minutes but in reality, was likely hours.

He tells her about how he and Jellybean used to get clothes; he stole them from donation boxes. Everything was secondhand and never really fit, not the way it’s supposed to. After his mom left, his dad barely worked and could never actually make ends meet. Even if he did, all of it went towards alcohol. So starting from a young age, Jughead learned creative ways to get food. Church meals, the food bank, and standing outside restaurants in the back alleyways, waiting for them to throw out the day’s remains.

He’s not ashamed of it. He did what he had to do to ensure that he and his sister were fed. But it was a difficult time -- that type of hunger and that type of poverty, he always carried it with him. And now that he finally has money, he cherishes and values every penny of it.

What means the most is that he has the desire to talk to her about it -- this sad, hidden part of his past; he’s letting her in to see a side of him that makes him so vulnerable and open. His voice shakes when he gets to the point about his father getting involved with a gang and eventually being imprisoned and she just couldn’t help herself. She leans in and kisses him softly, wanting to show him that she’s there. She wants to be there, always. She needs him to understand this promise of hers.

They move away from the closed door, a tangle of limbs, and fall into her bed. She giggles against his lips and pulls back, shimmying out of her dress and leggings. Hurriedly, he pulls off the rest of his clothing and she thinks about teasing him for his excitement but she feels the urgency too. Her hand comes around his hip and she pulls so his body covers hers. It’s hard to breathe.

The air feels thin and it’s so dizzying, having him this close again and here. He’s here with her. She’s here with him. It means so much more to her now that she knows what it feels like to lose him.

His tongue moves around her neck, sucking and biting. A moan escapes her mouth as she lifts her body, curling it into his. She cradles his face and looks deep into his eyes, whispering, “I love you.”

He gives her a wide, beautiful smile and presses his lips against hers. “I love you,” he says. He kisses her collarbone once. “I love you.” Moving down to the curve of her breasts, he kisses again. “I love you.” Breath gliding across her stomach, another kiss. “I love you.” He pulls her panties down and she squirms against the bed, eager for his touch. A kiss to the thigh. “I love you.” Her calf. “I love you.”

His hands come to her legs, pushing them wide so he can consume all of her. Her fingertips grip his wrists.

“Please,” she whimpers.

He hovers over her center and gives her an all too familiar smirk before his mouth moves down to her clit, sucking at it. Her hips lift off the bed and she grips the sheets, knowing she’s making a mess. His tongue enters her and he laps at her, loving the wetness that spills over his tongue. Her scent and taste is intoxicating and he wants to do this to her, give her this much pleasure, every day, as often as possible, for the rest of their lives together. His fingers press down on her thighs and he knows he’s probably going to leave a mark.

She loves this side of him -- the one that wants to possess her fully. She grinds her hips into his face, fingers running through his hair, pulling tightly. Her toes start to curl, head thrashing, as she comes. He swallows everything she gives, not wasting a single drop.

When she blinks her eyes open, after the tingling starts to fade a bit, her body is still so sensitive, all her nerves on edge. He moves over her body and she hooks her legs around him, shifting her weight so she pulls him down while she rolls over on top him. This time it’s her turn to smirk at him. She rakes her nails down his chest, digging into his skin. He hisses at the pressure, exactly the response she needs and wants. She presses into his cock, heavy and hard against her ass. Grinding into him, the smirk on her face deepens as he groans and grips her hips tightly.

“Stop teasing,” he grits out.

She starts to move down so she can return the favor but he stops her, pulling her whole body back up.

“Uh uh,” he tuts. “Later. Right now, I wanna fuck you.”

She raises an eyebrow teasingly and settles over him again, her wetness coating the tip of his cock. He grinds his teeth together impatiently.

“Now,” he demands. His hands return to her hips and he pushes his cock inside her, entering her in one full stroke, as he pulls her down so that he’s fully seated in her.

She whimpers and starts to gyrate slowly against him, her breaths coming short as she adjusts to his size and the feel of him inside her. It’s been a little over a week since they’ve done this and she can’t believe she ever thought she could go without this. It’s like an addiction, how much her body desires him. She starts to ride him, throwing her head back at the pleasure.

He’s holding her hips, guiding her movements and thrusting up in her powerfully. His eyes remain fixed on her face, drinking in every pleased expression, memorizing each detail. He thrusts up hard and unexpectedly. Her eyes fly open and meet his. He watches her, in reverence, as she moves up and down, taking more and more of him inside her.

She fucks him hard, sweat coating her skin. The pressure builds in her center and she knows she’s close. Lifting herself up so that barely his tip is inside her, she plunges herself back down on him, her mouth open in a silent scream. She repeats this action, over and over, and it feels like he’s hitting deeper and deeper with each thrust. She grabs his chest as she comes, crashing over the edge, her body collapsing against his as she rides out her orgasm. His palms her ass and thrust up into her hard and fast, chasing after his own pleasure. He follows her soon after, coming hard, shooting his release into her.

She lies on top of him, trying to catch her breath. He rubs lines up and down her back, a soothing gesture. She hums in contentment.

She moans as he pulls out of her, blushing slightly as she feels their combined fluids drip onto the bed. He hands her some tissues and helps her clean up, his touches gentle and caring. She reaches for him after he throws the dirtied tissues into the trash can. Laying there in quiet serenity, her mind starts to race, wondering if they should talk more.

After all, they still haven’t figured out any of the details. She still hasn’t told him that she wants to come with him, just that she loves him. It’s implied, she supposes but no, she’s not doing that anymore. She’s not going to assume he knows; she needs to tell him.

“I want to come with you,” she says softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.

His arms wrap around her body. “Are you sure?”

She looks up at him, eyes clear and shining. “I’m sure. I haven’t talked to Zoe yet but I’ll do it on Monday to see if I can work remotely.” She pauses and shrugs. “I know we can figure it out.”

He smiles at her optimism and stubbornness. It’s two of the many qualities that he loves about her. He leans forward and kisses her gently.

She pulls back suddenly, eyes wide. “Wait, aren’t your bosses going to be pissed that you didn’t get on that flight?”

He snorts and shrugs as well. “Ehh, they’ll get over it. I’ll tell them it was for a big romantic gesture.”

She rolls her eyes. “They will not think that’s a good excuse.”

“Good point. Maybe I should just tell them that I’m one of their most valuable employees considering they’re willing to pay for an entire year’s worth of rent and relocation costs so they can move me 3500 miles away to do something no else can. I’m sure they’ll be willing to forgive the cost of a one-way ticket.”

“God, you are so full of yourself. It’s sickening the size of your ego,” she says as she snorts.

“You love me anyway,” he teases.

“I do. I really do.”

They have so much to figure out, she knows. But why rush? They have the rest of their lives.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000


	12. I send my thoughts to far off destinations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHH. We are at the end. What a ride! Thank you for joining me on this journey and for reading. It means so much to me and I hope you’ve enjoyed this story. Thank you to my darling Jana ([latenightcoffeetalks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightcoffeetalks/pseuds/latenightcoffeetalks)) for being so wonderful. This story would not have been written without her constant encouragement.
> 
> This chapter is really just a love letter to one of my favorite cities ever. 
> 
> I’m not linking the Disasters of War series or the Black Paintings here because they’re graphic. Google it if you’re curious but just FYI, I wouldn’t recommend doing it if you’re squeamish! 
> 
> [Goya’s The Parasol](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-parasol/a230a80f-a899-4535-9e90-ad883bd096c5?searchid=1f5cc126-91d8-c7c8-acf2-8a77522f18f2)
> 
> [Goya’s The Flower Girls or Spring](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-flower-girls-or-spring/a7d9b670-77a0-43bb-b97e-aa04a04711d6?searchid=5c32a3a8-65a6-d2f8-4c76-90e1040d26b1)

_I do believe it's true_  
_That there are roads left in both of our shoes_  
_But if the silence takes you_  
_Then I hope it takes me too_  
_So brown eyes I'll hold you near_  
_'Cause you're the only song I want to hear_  
_A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere_  
_Where soul meets body_

_"Soul meets body" by Death Cab for Cutie_

**Chapter 12: I send my thoughts to far off destinations**

Betty’s never been good at mental math.

It’s a skill that she’s developed since moving and now, she's gotten pretty good at it, having spent over four months recalculating Celsius temperatures to Fahrenheit, and Metric measurements to the Imperial system.

It’s March 15th today and it’s currently 16 degrees Celsius. 16 x 9/5 + 32 = approximately 60 degrees.

She grabs a light jacket and throws it on before she exits their high-rise apartment that overlooks El Retiro Park, situated comfortably in the Salamanca district. The area is absolutely beautiful, located northeast of the historical old town, composed of grand 19th century boulevards.

Their apartment building is right next door to a 2-star Michelin restaurant. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the first places they dined at when they arrived for a celebratory dinner with some Goldman Sachs executives.

Betty had been uncomfortable, feeling like she didn’t fit in amongst that much unchecked opulence, especially with these men that probably made more money a year than she could even fathom.

It was at that dinner, all those months ago, that she finally witnessed what Jughead was like at work. She had guessed at it but seeing it first hand was a completely different experience. He was so charming, moving from one executive to the next, making all the right comments and saying all the correct things. He was captivating and the emotion that she felt the most was pride.

He’s come so far.

The poor boy that had to steal clothes and scrounge for food is still there, beneath all the pretense, but at the forefront is this confident and enthralling person. He had been through hell and back, suffering through all the terrible things he had experienced in his past, clawing out from it. Now, he stands tall and proud, master of his universe.

He had held onto her tightly that night, his arm firmly around her waist, keeping her by his side. I’m here, the gesture said. _I’m here with you._

She knew that she grounded him as much as he did for her. They spent that night, navigating the waters together, as a team, finding comfort and strength in each other.

The sun is shining down vividly today, like most days it seems here, and warms her face. She loves this -- the constant sunshine. Something about the way the rays hit your face, brightening it up, both literally and figuratively, just makes everything better. She passes the fancy boutique grocery store right next door to their apartment and instead, walks a little further to the traditional market. This place was one of her first discoveries and is still one of her favorite spots in the city. The fruits and vegetables are so fresh that it feels like she picked them off the vine herself.

She buys Padron peppers, dry cured ham, some Manchengo cheese and a baguette. Asparagus is in season so she buys a bundle of stalks. On a whim, she decides to get some oranges, kiwi and strawberries too.

By the time she gets back to their apartment, it’s barely 10AM, still early. She drops off the groceries, grabbing her laptop and notebook along the way. Since moving here, she’s developed a routine. She’ll wake up with Jughead in the morning, enjoying having a bit of quiet time with him as they leisurely eat their breakfast, then he’ll go off to the office while she checks her emails and figures out what her new assignment is. After that, she’ll usually head to the market to buy their day’s groceries and then, she goes to her favorite cafe, close to where Jughead’s office is and works for a few hours, coffee and churros in hand.

She works part-time now, still at the same publication as before. It’s a contractor position without any benefits but it didn’t matter anyway. She went on Jughead’s plan under the soulmate contingency after they moved so she still had access to everything she needed, and more.

The walk is quick. Betty hops up the steps to the cafe, waving hello to the owner, Lucia, as she enters. They exchange a few words of Spanish, a language that she’s slowly but surely learning, and she sits down at a quiet table near the back.

Opening her laptop, she scans through her emails, smiling at the one that she gets from her mom, checking in. Her parents, her mother specifically, weren’t exactly thrilled when she initially announced to them that she was moving to Madrid in three weeks. Especially since she told them that she wouldn’t be joining them in Riverdale for Christmas.

Betty was shocked when they agreed to make the journey out to Spain to celebrate the winter holidays with her and Jughead. It was also the first time they were meeting her soulmate in person so Betty was definitely a ball of stress beforehand.

Jughead was so supportive and with Jellybean there as a buffer, it was one of the happiest winter holidays she’d had in a long while. Betty laughs lightly when she remembers the way she and Jughead threw grapes into each other’s mouths; one for each of the twelve chimes on the old clock tower in the public square as they counted down to the New Year -- an old Spanish tradition that’s supposed to bring luck.

To the side, Jellybean made a gagging motion, ignoring the couple, choosing to cheer along with the Cooper parents instead.

Betty wasn’t sure if she was supposed to make a wish with this tradition but she did it anyway. _I wish that we can be this happy, forever._

Turning her attention back to her laptop, Betty types out a quick reply to her mother, reassuring her that she and Jughead are doing just fine.

_Elizabeth, are you and Jughead alright? I heard there was a nasty storm in Norway._

_Hi Mom! Yes, we’re great! That storm in Norway didn’t affect us at all._

She wants to add because we are 1800 miles away but doesn’t.

Momentarily distracted by Lucia bringing over her churros and coffee, Betty thanks her profusely, trying her best to pronounce the words correctly.

She takes a portion of the fried goodness and dips it into the rich chocolate, savoring the taste. The coffee is strong, not at all bitter, and it jolts her awake. It’s just the fuel she needs for her to power through editing her article. Her goal for the morning is to finish it so she can send it over to Zoe for approval.

Taking another few bites, she realizes she’s supposed to send Josie and Kevin a picture of this. They had promised to keep each other updated on their lives and Kevin had insisted that she send them both snaps of her food adventures. It’s only 6AM in New York right now so she doesn’t expect a response though knowing Josie, she might already be up, running on the treadmill.

She misses her best friends, a lot. But the last five months here have flown by and she knows that she’ll be back with them, reunited, soon enough.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

It’s nearing 1PM when Jughead texts her.

Betty feels her phone vibrate on the table top and sees a notification from him. She double checks her email one last time before hits send, her article officially on the way to Zoe’s inbox. Grabbing her phone, she quickly responds to let him know that yes, she’d love to meet for lunch and where she is.

Gathering her things, she doesn’t even notice the bell on the door jingle.

Her wrist tingles. Suddenly, she’s being encircled and lifted up by a strong set of arms. He leans in, his breath hot against her neck as he kisses it. Giggling, she turns around and embraces him properly.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

He smiles goofily at her for a few moments before he takes her laptop bag and slings it over his shoulder. She laces her fingers through his and they walk, hand in hand, down the street. Idly, they chat about their days and Betty excitedly relates to him that she finally finished editing her article.

“That’s great, Betts,” he says genuinely, rubbing small circles onto her back as he leads her into the small shop for lunch. “I know how hard you’ve been working on it.”

They sit down at a table across from one another and quickly order, knowing exactly what they want. The service is fast and soon, small plates of potato omelettes, dry cured ham on toast, and tomato toast are spread out all across.

Digging in, she murmurs her appreciation contentedly around a mouthful of jamon. “I feel like I’ve eaten more cured ham here than anything else.”

“Sounds like you’re living your best life,” Jughead comments.

They continue devouring their food, Jughead finishing off two slices of the tortilla espanola before she can even start on her portion.

“So, I was thinking,” he pauses.

“Yes?”

“Maybe I'll play hooky tomorrow?” He suggests.

“Really?” Betty asks, taking a dainty bite of the omelette. “Can you do that?”

He shrugs. “Why not?”

“Because it’s you and it’s this job,” she replies, still unconvinced.

“I’m trying,” he admits.

She immediately regrets her words and leans over the table to caress his shoulder, then moving her hands up to his face, cradling it gently. “I know and I love you even more for it.”

He smiles at her softly. “I have so much paid time off built up that I’m going to start losing it if I don’t use it. So, I’m taking tomorrow off.”

“Is it really hooky if it’s pre-planned?” She ponders.

“Semantics,” he says with a wave of his hand.

“So, where are we going?”

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Their destination is a quick one hour train ride away and Betty marvels at the efficiency of the high-speed train. The Spanish countryside whizzes by past the window and she takes it all in with wide-eyed curiosity.

She sits, elbow resting on the ledge, her chin resting on her open palm. Her other hand holds Jughead’s. He uses his free hand to flip a page, re-reading _The Stranger_ for the third time. They remain like that for the rest of the train journey.

After a quick bus ride and some wandering through the old streets, they arrive at their destination. She’s never seen Roman ruins before and unconsciously, her breath catches in her throat as she takes in the towering aqueduct. The structure consists of countless blocks, held together without any mortar and seems to span further than the eye can see.

“This is surreal,” she says.

“What about it?” He asks, curious.

“That something so old is still standing. It kind of puts it all into perspective, doesn’t it?”

“Are you getting philosophical on me, Betty Cooper?” He teases.

She shoves him playfully. “You’re so annoying,” she says, no malice in her tone.

He leans over to tickle her side and she slaps his hands away, running up the stairs ahead of him. He chases after her and they continue their ascent to get a different view. Once they reach the top, she stops suddenly, taking it all in. He wraps his arms around her and she leans her head into his back, hands on his forearms.

“I still can’t believe I’m here sometimes,” she says after a few quiet minutes.

He kisses her side of her head. “You’re here with me.”

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Later, after lunch, they walk with hands intertwined back to the bus and train. She sneaks a glance up at him. It still takes her breath away sometimes, realizing just how handsome he is. His skin is bronzed from the constant sun they get here. It’s hard not to stare.

Betty reaches into Jughead’s knapsack and grabs a bag of pre-washed strawberries out. She hands him one and pops another into her mouth, holding out the bag so he can grab one as he wants.

“You know what I just realized?” She asks.

“Hmm?” He prompts.

“You’re basically spending this whole year training a team that has the ability to replace you at some point.”

A small smile appears on his face at this observation. He looks over at her, grabbing another strawberry. “Is that a bad thing?”

Her nose scrunches up and she cocks her head to the side. “You want to be replaced?” She asks. “Doesn’t that threaten your job security?”

He nods at this and suddenly stops walking. “What if I don’t want job security?”

She pauses her steps and looks up at him, her gaze fixed and unwavering. “Jug, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I don’t think I want to do this forever, this job.” His voice is honest and clear.

Her jaw drops and she doesn’t really know what to say. For the entire time that she’s known him, he’s been so focused on his career, working insane hours, and always pushing himself to do better and excel. She’s noticed since moving here, his hours have gotten better but she just assumed that was the nature of his new role -- training people to manage clients and conduct industry analysis instead of actually doing it himself. She didn’t realize until just now, that it was all intentional.

He reaches out and squeezes her hand, bringing her attention back to the present conversation.

“I think it would make sense for me to stay for another two or three years and make sure there’s enough saved up to pay for Jellybean’s tuition and so we can live comfortably. After that, I could focus more on my writing. I mean, I could always do independent financial consulting. That still pays really well if money was ever an issue.” He goes on to explain.

Betty smiles at him. “It sounds like you’ve got our 5 year plan figured out,” she teases.

“You can shoot any of this down, you know?” He tells her. “This is a discussion, not a directive.”

She takes another step closer to him and hugs his side. “You know I love planning things out, right? This is like a defining characteristic for me.”

“Oh god, I just unleashed a can of worms, didn’t I?”

“Shut up! It’s a good thing,” she says, pushing him away lightly.

It’s a futile effort. He returns right back to her side in an instant and hugs her so tightly, breathing in her scent. She smells warm like mandarin oranges and sunshine.

“I love you,” he prompts.

Betty rolls her eyes at him, staying silent.

“Say it back!’ He demands moving to tickle her again.

“I love you!” She relents before he can do any damage.

They continue this pattern, all the way back to the train station.

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A week later, Betty and Jughead pick Jellybean up from the airport. A dark brown and lilac blur catapults towards Jughead, squeezing tightly. He lets out a laugh, returning his sister’s hug.

“Did you miss me or something?” He asks.

Jellybean slaps him lightly in the chest before she moves to embrace Betty.

“How was your flight?” Betty asks with a wide smile.

“It was great! I drank a bunch of free wine which was awesome. Getting a head start on spring break,” Jellybean replies.

Jughead shoots his sister an annoyed look, still not used to the fact that she’s legally allowed to drink here.

“Okay, tone it down a little,” Jughead complains as they head towards the airport exit.

Jellybean starts to argue right back and Betty shakes her head, watching them with loving eyes. It’s really impressive that not even a 7 ½ hour flight will cause Jellybean’s energy to waver.

It’s going to be a fun week.

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Jughead takes the whole week off again.

This time, he actually manages to avoid the office the entire time. Betty’s proud of him, knowing that he is making a concerted effort into having more of a balance with work and home life. Betty still works her normal half-time hours while Jellybean is visiting, giving the brother and sister to reunite and have some alone time.

They head to the Prado on a Tuesday afternoon. It is one of the many museums that Jellybean has listed on her ‘must go to’ list.

Jellybean bounces from gallery to gallery excitedly while Jughead and Betty glide from one to the other at a slower pace. They wind through a gallery of pretty court portraits of delicate, elegant ladies holding decorated parasols. Some are pictured picking flowers and frolicking in the green grass. The detailing on their dresses is exquisite.

Moving on a few galleries further, Betty stops at a wall of framed prints. She tugs Jughead towards it and takes in each horrific inch, bit by bit. It’s hard to look at for a long time, a truly gruesome scene, etched in black.

“That’s one of my favorites,” Jellybean comments, suddenly appearing next to them. “It’s really interesting to see how Goya progressed as an artist from a court painter to this, a direct visual criticism of the government and the brutality of war.”

“It’s hard to believe this is by the same artist,” Betty murmurs, thinking of the lighthearted paintings they had just passed.

“Well, this series was done over three decades after those court portraits. He had a long career and was very prolific. It’s kind of amazing to witness firsthand how much his opinion and view of the world changes over the years,” Jellybean continues.

“Those Art History classes are coming in handy, huh, Jelly?” Jughead asks with a smirk.

“Jug, I’m literally like the only person in my friend group that actually attends all of my classes so can we not?”

Ever the concerned sibling, Jughead launches into an inquiry about what she just revealed while Jellybean simply rolls her eyes at him, giving him vague answers.

They move onto the last gallery in the long stretch of the hallway and Betty audibly gasps as she enters. The space is large, dark and ominous. Wall after wall, the most terrifying and haunting images meet her eye.

“Wow,” she says softly, standing in the center of the room while she moves her feet in a circle, taking in everything. “This just makes me so sad.”

“I don’t think Goya ever meant for these to be seen by the public,” Jellybean observes. “He painted them directly onto the walls of the farmhouse that he lived in. After he died, the baron that bought the house had them transferred onto canvas. Goya was so alienated and disillusioned by that point.” She looks around the room. “I think he found solace in these images. They’re beautiful in its own way.”

They all stand there, staring quietly.

“I never realized just how morbid you are,” Jughead tells his sister.

“Really? That’s rich. You’re calling me morbid? This, from the person that is obsessed with true crime and cold cases?” Jellybean retorts.

“Yeah Juggie, your favorite book is _In Cold Blood_ ,” Betty comments.

“Yeah _Juggie_ ,” Jellybean crows, immensely satisfied that her brother’s soulmate is on her side.

“Aren’t you supposed to defend me?” Jughead complains to Betty.

“Was that written in the soulmate handbook because I don’t know if I read that part.”

Jughead doesn’t respond. Instead, he pulls Betty closer and starts to place small kisses all across her hair and face. She giggles into him and tries to wriggle out of his grasp.

To the side, Jellybean rolls her eyes again. “God, you guys are so gross. I’m leaving.”

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That night, they go to a neighborhood bodega that has vermouth on tap and the best ham croquettes Betty’s ever tasted. They spend most of the day eating. By the time dinner rolls around later in the evening, Betty still isn’t that hungry but the Jones siblings are starving.

They order what seems like half the menu and their table is soon covered with plates and plates of food. It no longer surprises Betty. Instead, she digs into the fried potatoes and garlic shrimp first, knowing full well that when she shares with them, she has to grab her portions fast.

Jellybean catches them both up on her glamorous college life. A truly content smile comes over Jughead’s face as he listens to her and Betty knows that he is so incredibly proud of his sister.

When their meal winds down, Jughead pops away to use the restroom and Jellybean pounces on the opportunity to talk to Betty alone.

“You guys look really happy,” she says genuinely, her voice full of emotion.

“We are,” Betty agrees. “I think he misses you a lot but this is actually good for him. You’re separated by an entire ocean so it’s a lot harder for him to be a helicopter parent.”

Jellybean snorts and takes a sip of her vermouth. “He still constantly blows up my phone though.” She pauses for a brief moment. “I miss him a lot too but don’t tell him that. His ego doesn’t need more inflating.”

Jughead returns to them sharing a laugh. “What’d I miss?”

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Things quiet down a bit after Jellybean returns back to the States. Like her visits before, she’s a force to be reckoned with, a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm.

Betty can tell Jughead misses her a lot that first week after she leaves. It’s only natural, she supposes. She doesn’t force him to talk about it, just gives him reassuring smiles and comforting touches. They sit on the couch, watching Parasite, still her favorite Bong Joon-Ho directed movie.

It’s only her third time re-watching the film and Jughead’s second. She’s honestly shocked that he agreed to it but it’s her turn to select what to watch for movie night. She watches his reactions intently and after the credits roll, she turns to him.

“Well? Still think it’s predictable?” She asks, her tone light.

He shakes his head gently and smiles. “Okay, you’re right,” he concedes. “It was definitely better the second time around. I actually really enjoyed catching all the small details I missed the first time.”

“Oh my god, did you just say I was right? I feel like I need to get this etched in stone or something,” she jokes.

Jughead leans forward and captures her mouth in a deep kiss, his tongue moving into her mouth. They stay like that for a few minutes, kissing and melting into one another.

“Don’t think you can distract me, Jughead Jones. You said I was right,” she says breathily against his lips when they finally break away.

“Is that a challenge?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.

She’s about to retort when his lips come down to meet hers again and suddenly, all her thoughts escape her.

What were they arguing about again?

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It’s 70 degrees today and it’s mid-April.

The sun is out in full force, beaming down warmth. It doesn’t really rain that much in Madrid which is something that’s still strange to Betty because she’s lived in New York her whole life; most of April and May consists of constant rain and dreary, cloudy days.

Not here. Not today.

The day is bright, sunlight lasting into the early evening. For Betty, it’s even brighter because her best friend is here, right next to her as they have a makeshift sleepover in the apartment. This entails Jughead sleeping alone in the master bedroom, Betty sleeping with Josie in the spare bedroom, and Reggie sleeping on the couch.

Josie had suggested that Reggie and Jughead have their own sleepover but instead of answering, Jughead just walked into his and Betty’s bedroom and closed the door without another word.

Josie and Betty laughed at this reaction whereas Reggie pretended to be offended. Betty thinks he might’ve been a little bit, on some level.

Betty leans back into the fluffy pillows turning on her side to face her best friend. “Thank you for coming.”

“Girl, you know you could not keep me away even if you wanted to. I’m going to eat my body weight in cheese and olives. I also can’t wait to continuously guzzle sangria,” Josie says.

“I really missed you,” Betty confesses.

“I really missed you too, babe,” Josie replies, shifting closer. “You guys seem to be doing really good.”

“We are,” Betty says immediately. “He’s trying to be better, about everything, and so am I. We’re not going to make the same mistakes again.”

“I’m so happy to hear that. I feel like when you guys were back in New York, I just wanted to strangle the both of you because you were so bad at communicating. I think I knew more about your relationship than you guys, even though you’re the ones actually in it.”

“Probably,” Betty admits. “We’re talking a lot more, especially about our feelings. He’s getting more comfortable mentioning his past. He even survived the Alice Cooper firing squad when my parents came and visited during the holidays. I actually see him during the weekdays now because he’s not working those crazy hours. It’s better,” she finishes. “It’s so much better.”

Josie smiles widely at this and hugs her tightly. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Me too, Jos.”

When she pulls back, Betty slaps the covers. “So, tell me all the hot gossip.”

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The next day, Jughead and Betty dutifully play tour guides as they lead Reggie and Josie through the city. It’s really a food tour because unsurprisingly, Reggie and Jughead are constantly hungry. After they feast, Reggie gets easily distracted, wandering into each and every single specialty food shop while Josie mostly peruses for souvenirs.

“You know I’m starting to think people keep visiting us because we keep feeding them,” Betty murmurs to Jughead when they have a free second by themselves.

He smiles down at her and pulls her close. “That’s the way to people’s hearts right?”

“That’s definitely the way to your heart.”

“You’re not wrong, Betts.” He sneaks a quick kiss to the lips.

They’re both startled from their intimate moment by an excited Reggie and a giggling Josie.

He appears to be waving something around in his hand. “Dude, did you know there is a Museum of Ham here?” Reggie exclaims. “You can get a ham sandwich for one Euro. That’s wild!”

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End file.
